In sickness and in health
by Life'sAbitchAndThenYouDie
Summary: The war is over and Piper and Aerrow are happy together, but the return of an old enemy is making it hard. And their love it put on trial... and as Aerrow is getting very sick... what's going to happen? PiperxAerrow FinnxOC COMPLETED
1. Morning has broken

**Chapter 1**

**Morning has broken...**

**A/N: Hi you guys! I fell in love with SH a few months ago and I just had to write a dramatic fic... hope you like it! This is mostly a father and son and A/P fic, but there are different pairings as well. FinnXoc, FinnXAerrow(Friendship!). Sorry, but there is not much about Junko or Stork. Warning: People will get hurt and suffer a bit... hehe. Enjoy it!**

_The war with the Cyclonians is over and the Storm Hawks are living their lives for the full, but as we all know: happily-ever-afters don't exist..._

.:o0o:.

Piper and Aerrow were lying in their bed and enjoying a quiet morning.

"Look at the sky Aerrow" Piper said to her husband. "Not a single cloud"

"Yeah, I bet Tyler wants to take a ride on the skimmer today"

"I guess so" She said. "But I want to have some time with you first" She said and embraced him and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

"Can't say I'm against that" He She said her and kissed her forehead. Aerrow loved his life. He had a wife and two kids, and had his job as a Sky Knight and squadron trainer. Together with Finn he was teaching young people how to work together as a team. Both Aerrow and Finn were living on Terra Atmosia and worked in the Sky Knight council as well. Junko had moved home and now he was the protector and one of the Sky Knights of Terra Wallop and he lived there with his wife and little daughter. And when it came to Stork... Aerrow wasn't really sure; he had seen the Morb flying the Condor everywhere in the entire Atmos. He thought that his friend might be collecting special pieces and stuff for the Condor, or at least working on improving it.

Finn had married a girl named Jessica not long after the war was over and they had two kids, twins actually. So now all the Storm Hawks were living their dream around in the Atmos, but they were separated. And sometimes Aerrow wished for them to come together again, he missed the adventures. But he had realized that, that part of his life was over and a new one had started. "I love you Piper, more than you can ever imagine"

"I love you too Aerrow" Piper said and kissed her husband, but suddenly someone knocked at the door. "Mom! Dad! Are you awake?"

Aerrow and Piper gave each other a bit sad look. "We're awake son, come on" Aerrow said.

"Good morning!" He shouted and ran over to his parents' bed. "Ayla is still sleeping"

"That's great, thank you Tyler" Piper said and embraced her son. "But why are you up so early?"

"The weather is great! I wanted to ask dad if we could take a ride on his skimmer"

"Sure we can, I'll get dressed and then we have some breakfast, and then we'll be on our way"

"Will it take long?"

"Give me 20 minutes, Tyler. So go and get dressed"

"I will dad! Thanks" Tyler said and ran out of the room. Aerrow got up from the bed and went to find some clothes.

Piper watched her husband get up and she took a good look at him this time. Aerrow was getting older, but the only changes were his broader shoulders and stronger body. Piper loved her husband's look when he just got up form bed. His hair was messy and best of all... he was only wearing his boxer's.

"Too bad you have to go" She said and gave him _that _look. Aerrow had put his uniform pants on, but his upper body was still bare.

"I know" He said and looked her deep into the eyes. "But I promise you I'll be back"

"I can't wait" She said and kissed him. He smiled at her and left the room, already longing to get back.

"So, are you ready Tyler?" Aerrow asked after finishing his breakfast a little later.

"Are you kidding? I've been ready for 19 minutes dad!"

"I should have known that. But ok, let's go!"

Tyler and Aerrow walked out to the garage and the second Aerrow opened the door Tyler ran inside and jumped on the skimmer. Aerrow laughed and gave his son a helmet; he loved seeing Tyler so happy. He reminded him of himself as a young kid, only that Tyler had a dad to ride a skimmer with. "Did you and grandpa do this?" Tyler asked as he had read his father's thoughts.

"No we didn't son" Aerrow said and smiled weakly. "But that's why I'm doing this with you!" He said and jumped on the skimmer to avoid more questions. "Ready Tyler?"

"Dad! I already told you I've been ready for 19 minutes!"

"Ok, ok, I believe you. So hold on tight, we're ready for take-off"

A few minutes later Aerrow and Tyler were high up in the sky dancing with the sun, and feeling the fresh air filling their lungs. "Dad, I love this!"

"Me too son" Aerrow said. This time up in the sky was really special to him, he finally had some time with his son, and there was no better place to spend it then in the sky.

But it was about to change... because suddenly he got a call.

"Aerrow here"

"Hi Aerrow" Finn said.

"Hi, what's up?"

"Trouble, a group of old Talons was spotted not far from Atmosia. We need you"

"I'm with Tyler so I had to take him home first"

"Ok, but be really quick. I don't like the idea of having these crazy old Talons around"

"Me neither, I'll be there in ten minutes"

"See you, over and out"

Aerrow had felt his son's tight grip around his waist, but the grip loosened up when he understood that his dad had to go. He hated to disappoint Tyler like this and he couldn't help but feel bad about it all... "I'm really sorry Tyler, but the duty is calling"

"Ok..." Was all Tyler answered.

"I promise you I'll be back as soon as I can and I'll take you for a new ride then"

"Don't make promises you can't keep dad"

"I..." Aerrow didn't have an answer for his son, and turned the skimmer around towards Atmosia. _"Piper and her wisdom words..."_

**A/N: What do ya think? I know it's kinda short, butbut it's not onlyonly;D**


	2. The return of an old enemy

**Chapter 2**

**The return of an old enemy**

**A/N: Hi folks! Here is the second chap, enjoy**

After answering Piper's questions about why he was home so early, why Tyler were sad and why he was worried, Aerrow sat down at the Skimmer again and drove down to the council's building downtown. It was a huge and majestic building and old as well. Dark clouds was starting to appear on the sky and Aerrow started to remember how things was during the war... dark, cold and it was always raining when the Talons was near. And this was no exception.

When he got inside he met Finn in the hall together with one of the young squadrons.

"Are they coming with us?" Aerrow asked.

"Yes, they are the strongest of the young ones and I think they're ready"

"Ok, did you inform the council about the whole situation?"

"Of course"

"Good then I won't need to. Ready to go everyone?" He asked with a serious look on his face. The young squadron just nodded, they were no more than 16 to 19 years old so he understood that they were nervous. "Let's go"

Aerrow got up on his skimmer and started the engine. It still felt a little strange going out on a mission like this without the other Storm Hawks, but he had realized that they were adults now and that he was needed somewhere else. Aerrow and Finn took the lead and flew in front of the others as they were approaching to the wasteland where the Talons had been spotted.

"How close to their base are we?" Finn asked Aerrow. All of sudden a shot from a crystal barely missed Finn's head.

"Too close!" Aerrow shouted back and flew in another direction.

"Open fire and search for a base!" Finn commanded the squadron. Even Aerrow was under Finn's command this time and did as he was told; he flew down in the wasteland, planning to surprise them. The eldest of the boys in the squadron called Thomas fallowed Aerrow down in the wastelands. Aerrow didn't know if it was to prove his skills with the skimmer or to cover Aerrow's back – he could only hope that is was the last. It was really hot down there and it made Aerrow's eyes hurt and it was hard to see all the cliffs and stones.

"Aerrow, watch out!" Thomas shouted desperately. Aerrow turned around and felt his heart being filled with fear. "Dark Ace…" He whispered.

"Nice to see you Aerrow!" Dark Ace said and smiled evilly as he drove up next to Aerrow. "Glad to see me?"

"Sorry, I have to disappoint you" Aerrow said as anger welled up in his eyes.

"I heard you and Piper had kids, Tyler and Ayla, right? Would be nice to meet them sometime, been a while since I've seen Piper as well…"

"Dream on!" Aerrow shouted in anger and made a manoeuvre to get away from Dark Ace, but he was prepared and fallowed Aerrow straight away. "You won't get rid of me that easy Sky Knight!"

"You're getting old Dark Ace! Getting close to 50 eh?"

"All I've got is more experience Aerrow, and you're going to get a taste of it"

Aerrow didn't answer this time; he lifted his guard and prepared for any new weapon or manoeuvre that Dark Ace had come up with. His only thought at this moment was to get Dark Ace as far away from Atmosia as possible, his enemy had really found his weak spot when he mentioned his children.

"Nothing can protect you this time Aerrow!" Dark Ace shouted and threw something against the Sky Knights skimmer. Sparkles flew and Aerrow could feel the engine shut down and suddenly the wings were pulled in! "_God_ _I wish Radarr was here!_" Aerrow thought desperately as he tried to control the skimmer. But everything happened so fast and Aerrow was unable to control it. The skimmer was shaking violently and there was absolutely no power in the engines. "_No! I can't go down now! Dark Ace will_.." but it was too late.

.:o0o:.

There was nothing more Thomas could do then to warn his leader, he had nothing to stand up against the Dark Ace with. Thomas fallowed the two of them in case Aerrow would need some help and when he saw the Sky Knight's skimmer going down he was glad he did. "Come on Aerrow! Get the skimmer up!" He mumbled to himself. He could see the Dark Ace fallow Aerrow down towards a little terra, but he was too far away to see the landing. Thomas was quite frightened at this moment, but he knew his duty. He gave the engines more power and flew down towards the terra.

.:o0o:.

Aerrow opened his eyes slowly and tried to figure out where he was. "Their base… I'm on their terra" he whispered.

"That's correct" A voice suddenly said.

"Dark Ace!" Aerrow tried to get up, but his legs were caught under his skimmer. The pain shot threw him when he tried to move the skimmer and he fell back on the ground.

"You can't get away Sky Knight"

"Why don't you just kill me... and get it over with?"

"And take away the father of two little children? Oh, I can't do that" he said and smiled.

"Why not? You killed my father"

"But you were only one, and he didn't care about you anyway, at least he never told me anything about you"

"Liar!" Aerrow screamed in anger.

"Ha!" Dark Ace laughed and suddenly he grabbed Aerrow's hair and pulled him up. "Don't like the pain eh? Well, I promise you that you will feel a lot more!"

Aerrow felt a needle being pushed into his neck and he twisted and screamed in pain. It felt like a boiling liquid was running down his back and into his chest. The 5 seconds felt like an eternity, when the needle disappeared he fell to the ground. He could barely see threw all the fog that appeared in front of his eyes, all he could see was a black contour.

"You won't remember much of this Sky Knight, but the pain will still be there. Sweet dreams, Aerrow! Sweet dreams…"

Then… he remembered no more.

.:o0o:.

Many hours had passed by since Finn and Aerrow had left, it was 17:13 and someone was starting to get inpatient:

"Mom! Is daddy home soon?" Ayla asked.

"I'm sure he'll be home in an hour or so sweety. Have you seen Tyler?"

"He's in his room" Ayla replied. "As usual" She then added. Tyler had locked himself into his room after Aerrow dropped him off. It had been a long day and Piper was constantly worried about Aerrow and this time Tyler wasn't there to comfort her. Tyler was always sitting by his mother's side when Aerrow was out on missions and Piper truly loved her son for that. After taking her role as mother she was more worried than ever, and Tyler was the only one who was able to comfort her. Piper suddenly got an idea…

"Ayla, want to take a little trip to the city?"

"Yes!" The girl shouted and smiled from ear to ear.

"Great! Can you get Tyler to come down here?"

"Sure" She said and walked towards the stairs.

"But be nice to him Ayla! He's quite upset because of dad"

"Okey!"

Two minutes later Tyler came downstairs with the same angry look on his face. "What is it mom?" He asked.

"Well… you have been sitting in your room all day and Ayla wants to take a trip to the city, what do you say?"

"You're worried about dad again aren't you?"

Piper knew she couldn't lie to her son and nodded quietly. "I just want to ask the council if they have heard anything. And don't you want to meet him as soon as he's home?"

"I guess so" He said and looked out of the window. "Look at that cloud mom, cumulus nimbus… it's going to rain soon"

"Then we better take our jackets with us, let's go!" She said smiling and pushed her son out of the kitchen and towards the door. "Maybe daddy is waiting for us already?"

.:o0o:.

Thomas could hear his leader scream in pain, but he still couldn't see him. He had just landed and as he jumped of the skimmer he could see Dark Ace take off not far from him. Thomas ran as fast as he could towards Aerrow and when he reached him.. it was not a pretty sight. He was unconscious and barely breathing, the panic started to grow in Thomas, but he managed to stay calm.

"Aerrow, can you hear me?" he asked with a clear voice and held his leader's head up. He wasn't given an answer and he pulled the radio up from his pocket.

"Finn, this is Thomas. Over"

"Finn here, what's happening? Over"

"We were attacked by the Dark Ace, Aerrow is injured and unconscious. What's your status?"

"Shit… We'll be there in 2 minutes, Thomas. The Talons are all gone and we've captured two of them. Over and out"

Thomas managed to breathe a little when he heard Finn's command, but he was still worried about Aerrow. His face was quite pale and his body was unnaturally limp.

"They are coming Aerrow, Finn is coming for you" He said trying to wake up Aerrow, but the man didn't give any signs of waking up. _"What a great first mission"_ Thomas thought for himself and looked for Finn and the others. He could see clouds gather all around and small drops of water started to fall from the dark sky. The two minutes before Finn arrived felt like an eternity, but finally Finn landed next to them. The rest of the squadron was guardians for the two Talons, but they quickly forgot about them when they saw Aerrow lying on the ground.

"Aerrow!" Finn shouted and sat down next to his friend. "How is he?" He asked Thomas.

"I'm not sure, but his breathing is better. But we really need to get this skimmer off his legs. It's crashed and twisted so I didn't wanted to lift it on my own"

"Well done, Thomas. And just relax; none of this is your fault"

Thomas still felt a little guilty, but Finn's words helped a lot.

"Thomas you watch Aerrow, Kelly help me lift the skimmer off his legs" Finn commanded and took a solid grip on the skimmer. "Great, on three… one…two…three!" he used all of his energy and lifted the skimmer.

"Finn, he's waking up!" Thomas said. Finn ran over to his friend's side and lifted him up.

"Aerrow, buddy! Can you hear me?"

"Finn?" Aerrow mumbled.

"I'm here bro, just lay still we'll be home in a few minutes"

"No! Piper, and the kids… I can't... come home like this!" He said and sat up.

"But you're injured, just look at your legs!"

"It's ok Finn! My head and legs hurts, but I can't come home on a stretcher!"

"Can you even stand?"

"Yeah! Sure" He mumbled and tried to stand up, his legs were shaking and it hurt like hell, but Aerrow just smiled.

Finn wasn't as sure as Aerrow, but he understood that he didn't want to upset Piper. He would have done the same if it was about Jessica. "Aerrow, I'm not sure about this..."

"I'm ok Finn! But what do we do about Dark Ace?!" Aerrow said in anger.

"Calm down bro" Finn said surprised over Aerrow sudden anger.

"Calm down?! He threatened my children! And even Piper!"

Finn and Aerrow were the only fathers in the group, but even the young ones understood his fear.

"How did he now about Tyler and Ayla?" Finn asked scared. "Then he probably knows about Jack and Lily as well…"

"I don't know" Aerrow said and laid a comforting hand on Finn's shoulder. Then he looked at the young squadron behind them. "Someday you'll understand this" Aerrow said and gave them a little smile. "Aah…!" Aerrow suddenly moaned and fell to his knees while coughing.

"Aerrow! What's wrong?" Finn said and grabbed his friend before he fell to the ground.

"My chest…" he whispered. "I can't breathe"

"Relax, we'll get you some help"

"No! Just wait…" He mumbled. Finn hated to see Aerrow like this, but he didn't say anything; he just held Aerrow's hand till it all stopped.

"It's over…" He whispered.

"Good, but you need to check it out"

"I will" He eventually said. "But without Piper knowing"

"Is that such a good idea?" Finn asked, but was given an angry look as a reply. "Ok then, ready to go home?"

"Yes"

"Great. Thomas, you'll take Aerrow's skimmer and attach it to yours with some rope, and then Aerrow will take a ride with me home. The rest of you guard the Talons"

"Yes sir!" Thomas and the others replied. Thomas took a short look at the Talons and noticed that they were both looking at Aerrow and smiling evilly. _"What did they do to him?"_ He thought suspicious. But then they were all ready to go and he didn't think more about it… until it was too late.

.:o0o:.

Piper, Tyler and Ayla walked into the Sky Knight council building in the main street on Atmosia. There were more people there than Piper had expected. Some she knew and some strangers. She had Ayla in her right hand and Tyler walking on her other side. She remembered how she used to take Tyler down to the city when he was at Ayla's age, he would hold her hand and drag her around to take a look in every shop. Piper walked in a small door on the left side in the big entrance hall, it was easier to get information on the inside instead of waiting in the hall with the others. At least she had some favours as a Sky Knight...

"Piper!" Someone suddenly called out.

"Jessica!" Piper said happy and hugged her friend tight. "Even you are starting to get worried I see?"

"I hate to admit it, but I do" She said, but suddenly she realized that Ayla and Tyler were there as well and she didn't want to upset them. "Jack and Lily are in my office and making some drawings, want to join them?"

Ayla didn't even answer her; she just ran to the office, even though she only was 7 years old she had been here a hundred times and knew exactly where Jessica's office was. Tyler stood still by his mother's side "Can I be with you?"

"Sure Tyler" Jessica said and smiled.

"So" Piper started. "Do they know anything? They have been gone for 8 hours!"

"They haven't heard anything, but they haven't even sent a message to the squadron so they have done nothing!"

"I could have killed those guys!" Piper said in anger and totally forgot that her son was there. "If daddy asks you if I got worried or angry… don't tell him I said that"

"I won't!" Tyler promised and thought it was really funny that Piper said something like that.

"So what do we do?" Jessica asked.

"I guess all we can do is to wait" Piper said and took a deep breath. Suddenly a voice spoke:

"_New message, listen all Knights and council members! The Sky Knight Finn has returned, together with the Wild Eagles squadron"_

"Or maybe not!" Jessica said and ran to get the children. "I'll bring Ayla with me so just go out and meet him!"

"Thank you Jessica!" Piper replied happily and then she and Tyler went out to meet Aerrow. "_They didn't mention Aerrow_" She suddenly realized, but thought they just counted him in, in the squadron.

Piper couldn't wait to see her husband again; she missed him even though he only had been gone for 8 hours. When she got out the door she could see the skimmer coming towards the terra.

"1…2…3" She counted. "4…5…6…?" She felt her heart made a jump, one of the Skimmers was missing and she couldn't tell if it was Aerrow's from this distance.

"Mom, there is one missing!" Tyler said, he had noticed it as well.

"I know, but just relax. I'm sure it's not Dad or Uncle Finn"

A minute later they were close enough for Piper and Tyler to see that Aerrow's skimmer was the one missing.

"Mom! Dad's skimmer is attached till Thomas! And I can't see Dad!" Fear started to grow in Tyler's chest and he stumbled a step back.

**End of chapter 2!**

**A/N: Reviews? New chapter next week! =)**


	3. Home

**Chapter 3**

**Home**

**A/N: There isn't much to say... thanks for the reviews and enjoy this new chapter!**

_A minute later they were close enough for Piper and Tyler to see that Aerrow's skimmer was the one missing._

"_Mom! Dad's skimmer is attached till Thomas! And I can't see Dad!" Fear started to grow in Tyler's chest and he stumbled a step back_.

.:o0o:.

Tyler felt his mother laid her comforting hands on his shoulders – both too frightened to say anything. Small tears appeared in Piper's eyes and made her vision cloudy. Suddenly she could feel a hand on her shoulder, it was Jessica. "Piper…"

"Aerrow's skimmer is crashed, and I can't see him!"

"I think they would have reported back to the council if Aerrow was injured" Jessica said comforting. "_Or worse_" she added in her own thoughts.

"Why are you so upset mom?" Ayla asked when she saw her mom; Jessica had brought her out together with Lily and Jack.

"I'm not upset Ayla" She said quickly and smiled. "I just looking forward to see you dad again"

"Ok…" Ayla didn't truly believe her, but she let it be.

Piper started to see the pilots clearer and clearer as they approached the market, a lot of people were gathered to welcome the brave little group of knights.

"Piper, look!" Jessica said and pointed at Finn.

"Oh thank God!" Piper said and embraced Tyler.

"Daddy is sitting behind Uncle Finn on his Skimmer!" Tyler explained Ayla

"Yes! Go dad!" Ayla said relieved and proud, her daddy had returned home safely – she thought. "What do you think happened to dad mom?"

"I don't know Ayla, but he will have to explain it. Just wait!"

.:o0o:.

"Look Aerrow!" Finn said. "Jessica, Jack and Lily are here!"

"That's nice" Aerrow mumbled tired. "I'm just glad Piper and the kids aren't here, they can't see me like this"

"Then you have a problem"

"You're kidding? They're here??"

"Yup"

"Shit…"

Two minutes later they landed safely on the ground, and it turned out that a family member of almost every soldier were there to greet them. It was chaos all the over the market so Aerrow still couldn't see Piper, Tyler or Ayla. He turned around and saw Thomas standing by his Skimmer, all alone. Aerrow knew that Thomas had lost all his family during the war, and he knew how the young man felt. "Thanks for taking my Skimmer" Aerrow said and laid an arm on Thomas' shoulder.

"You're welcome" he mumbled and started to untie the strong rope holding the Skimmer. "By the way, can you manage to take the Skimmer home by yourself or do you want me to take it home for you?"

"That's not necessary, I saw my wife here with her heliscooter, she'll give me a ride"

"Ok, sir"

"Aerrow!" Someone suddenly shouted. Aerrow turned around before he knew it he had Piper all over him.

"Piper!" he said and pulled her into a tight hug. The pain in his legs felt like needles, but he tried to ignore it.

"Dad!" Tyler said and jumped up on his father. This was too much for Aerrow's legs and he fell to the ground. He just started to laugh to cover the fall, and when Ayla grabbed his leg he bit his teeth together to not scream in agony.

The little crowd who was standing around them smiled and laughed when they saw the young family lying on the ground, simply happy to have their father and husband back.

"It's so nice to see you!" Aerrow said and kissed his daughter on the forehead. "But why are you all here?"

"Aerrow you have been gone for over 8 hours! And what happened to your skimmer? And you've blood on your legs and forehead!"

"Let's talk about that later" He said and gave her the I-don't-want-the-kids-to-know look. That was a good enough answer for Piper and she didn't ask any more questions.

"You guys should go home" He then said. "I need to report to the council on what happened"

"I understand, but how do you get home?"

"Thomas offered me a ride, and I think he has to be on the meeting as well, so he won't have to wait for me"

Piper wasn't really sure what to do, and she was desperate after an explanation on what had happened.

"Piper, Aerrow!" Finn shouted through the crowd.

"Yes Finn?"

"The council wants to see you both! Jessica will take care of the kids"

"Ok…" Aerrow said hesitating. "Is it ok for you guys?" He asked his children.

Ayla smiled and was really happy about the decision, but Tyler was a lot older than the other kids and would rather be with Aerrow.

"I'm sorry son"

"I told you, don't make a promise you can't keep"

"But I didn't plan to crash the Skimmer Tyler!"

"Still, you made a promise" Tyler said and looked his father deep into the eyes, and then he turned and walked away with Ayla holding his hand.

"He's really disappointed" Aerrow said and took a deep breath.

"I know, but it's just the way it has to be. Take him with you and repair the Skimmer tomorrow, then he'll forgive for sure" Piper comforted.

"I hope so"

"But we need to go; the council is waiting for us"

"Yay, another meeting" Aerrow said sarcastic and rolled his eyes.

"Well, if you won't tell me what happened, you have to tell them. Wonder why they want me to be there?"

"I know Piper, but I'm only doing it to protect you. You won't like what I have to say"

"It can't be that bad?" She asked. But by the look of Aerrow's face she was given her answer. She looked at Finn to see his reaction and even he was lost for words. "Now I'm really starting to get worried"

.:o0o:.

Aerrow, Finn and Piper sat down by the large round table in the big hall. This room was the oldest in Atmos, it was easy to see by the dark old furniture made of oak. The walls were covered in old paintings and photographs; the biggest painting was of the first Sky Knight ever. He was like a hero to the other Sky Knights and it was everyone's dream to one day become like him. Right next to it was a picture of the old Storm Hawks; they had even kept Dark Ace's face in it. Aerrow could feel his heart being filled with hate, sorrow and proud every time he saw the picture.

Aerrow was sitting by the chancellor's right side and next to Aerrow was Finn. Piper had her seat on the chancellor's left side by all the maps that were hanging on her side of the wall. Starling was sitting right next to Piper. None from the young squadron was present, but there were a couple of the good old guys and a couple of the Sky Knight-trainers. In all there were 7 around the table, 2 missing. A Sky Knight named Jason and the chancellor.

The chancellor was a strong, but proud man and he liked to make an entrance. So when the doors finally opened they all stood up and waited for him to sit down.

"Please, take a seat" he said with a deep voice. "Let's get straight to business; you did not give us _any _reports during the mission. I need an explanation, Finn? You were the leader for this mission"

"Yes, Chancellor, there was an incident during the mission that gave us no time for this"

"What incident?" He asked surprised.

Finn was about to answer, but when he saw the look on Aerrow's face he hesitated.

"The Dark Ace returned sir" He said without mentioning Aerrow's accident.

Everyone in the room fell silent. Piper sent Aerrow a worried look, now she knew why he and Finn had acted so strange.

"If that is the case I will need to know exactly what happened today, every single detail is important"

"I understand Chancellor" Aerrow said. "But we have small children that need us, and I have already let my son down once today"

"I respect that Aerrow, but I will need you to stay. We can have a new meeting later with Jason and Piper present as well"

"Sir?" Piper asked.

"You can go home Piper"

"As you wish, sir" She replied a little angry and sent Aerrow a look that was easy to read: _"This isn't over, I want to know"_

Aerrow gave her a simple nod and tried to forget about her for the moment. Sometimes he wondered if he and Piper managed to act professional when they were with the council. But they had never had any trouble before and he couldn't ask Piper to give up her seat in the Council Hall. She had sacrificed everything else for their kids already. Aerrow suddenly coughed, it felt like something was putting weight on his heart and it made it a little difficult to breathe. He had been keeping it back as long as Piper was in the room, but now he let it out. He rubbed his stiff neck and suddenly noticed that everyone was looking at him.

"Are you alright?" Finn asked and laid a supporting hand on Aerrow's shoulder.

"Yeah I'm just fine" Aerrow mumbled and pushed Finn's hand away. "What do you need to know Chancellor?"

"I would like to know everything, but right now it looks like you need to rest"

"Sir, I am ok. May we continue the meeting? My son will be waiting for me to be home"

"As you wish" The Chancellor said and didn't ask any more questions.

Aerrow and Finn gave the Chancellor every detail about the mission, everything from where they found the base to Aerrow's crash. Thomas was called in and told them what happened right after he found Aerrow and which direction he saw Dark Ace fly. Aerrow then requested that Piper would not be involved in this case. He wouldn't have her to know about Dark Ace threatening their children, Aerrow being knocked unconscious or that he didn't even remember what happened some of the time.

When Aerrow looked at the clock it was 23:12, the meeting had lasted for more than 5 hours and Tyler had gone to bed a long time ago. They could finally leave the room, the air in there had started to get thick and Aerrow's head really hurt. When he got outside he realized that he had no way of getting home. Piper had taken the destroyed Skimmer with her, and Thomas didn't have to be there during the whole meeting after all so he had probably went home a long time ago.

"Finn…?" Aerrow said and looked at his friend with his big green eyes.

"Don't do that! You look like girl" He said and laughed. "Jump on"

"Thanks"

Ten minutes later Finn stopped outside Aerrow's house. "It's starting to look well!" He said as he looked at the big white house.

"Yes it actually does" Aerrow said satisfied. He and Piper had some trouble with the economy in the beginning and the house they had bought needed some reparations. But both Piper and Aerrow were good with repairing and after many hours of hard work it started to look good.

"See you tomorrow bro" Finn said and gave him a hug, Aerrow was like a brother to him and after a day like this Aerrow needed one.

"See you Finn, say hello and thanks to Jessica for me. The kids really enjoy staying with her"

"She will be glad to hear so" Finn said and took off. Aerrow opened the door and closed it quietly; the house was dark except from the kitchen, he walked in and saw Piper sleeping by the kitchen table. She was wearing a light blue robe outside of her pink pyjamas pants and white singlet. Her hair was loose without any hair band; to Aerrow she had never looked more beautiful. He knew she was a heavy sleeper so he gently lifted her up in his arms, he forgot that his legs couldn't take much extra weight, but he couldn't wake her up. He turned off the light and with patience he managed to carry her up the stairs. The door to their bedroom was open to Aerrow's relief and he gently laid her down on the soft bed. He took of the robe and covered her with a blanket. Piper was in a deep sleep and he could see she was dreaming, and after the look on her face it was not a happy one. She always had bad dreams when she was worried, and he knew it was his fault.

Aerrow walked out of the room again to check on Ayla and Tyler. Ayla was sleeping in her brother's room this night, she said she felt safe if she did and it was ok for Tyler. He took a few quiet steps into the room and sat down on the edge of Tyler's bed. He stroke Ayla over the cheek and kissed her on the forehead, then he turned over to Tyler. He was sleeping peacefully. "I'm so sorry Tyler" he whispered and stroke his son through the rough hair. "I will never let anyone hurt you, not Dark Ace, no one!" Fright and anger boiled in his heart for a few seconds, but he let it go…for now. He took one last glance at his children before he went to bed. He decided to throw with his pants on so Piper wouldn't see how torn up they were.

"What a day…" he said to himself before he went to bed. Not knowing what tomorrow would bring…

**End of chapter 3**


	4. A day off

**Chapter 4**

**A day off**

**A/N: I hope you guys are still enjoying the holiday! I have to leave home on Friday already... and perhaps you'll get another chap before I travel. Enjoy this one!**

When Aerrow woke up the next morning he had forgotten all about what happened the day before, until he got up from the bed. His legs hurt even more than they had done yesterday and they were sore and needed to be cleaned. Lucky for him Piper was still sleeping. He walked quietly out of the bedroom and went to the bathroom to find something to clean the wounds with. He had promised Finn to go to a doctor, but except from the sore legs, a headache and an extremely stiff body he seemed ok. He found what he was looking for and he put it on a piece of cotton and laid it on one of the cuts.

"Man, that hurts!" he mumbled and bit his teeth together so he wouldn't scream out loud.

"Good morning dad" A voice suddenly appeared behind him, he quickly removed the cotton and pulled his pants down his legs.

"Good morning Tyler!" he said as cheerfully as he could. He knew that Tyler wasn't stupid, but maybe he could get him not to tell Piper…

"How was the meeting last night? You weren't home when I got to bed"

"The meeting was like every other meeting, boring. This one just lasted a little longer than usual"

"Why?"

"We had to call in a witness and stuff. Look Tyler, I know you're curious, but I'm not allowed to tell you everything"

"I understand" he said. "But what happened to your legs?"  
"That was nothing, just a little scratch from when I crashed the Skimmer yesterday. But don't tell mom, ok?"

"Ok, but she was really scared last night dad. And so was I"

"Come here Tyler" he said and sat down and put his son on the lap. "I'm really sorry I scared you like that, I should have given the council a message so they could inform you, but I didn't expect you to be there"

"Weren't you happy to see us?"

"Of course I was Tyler! You have no idea how glad I was when I saw you down there"

"Really?"

"Really"

"Promise?"

"Promise"

"Ok… but don't you ever scare me like that again! Or else…" Tyler said as he tried to look serious.

Aerrow started to laugh so much by Tyler's comment that he didn't managed to reply to his son's threat.

"Why do you laugh? It's exactly the way you sounds!"

"Then maybe I need to change my tone a bit" He said still laughing. "Look Tyler, it comes a risk with being a Sky Knight, but I'm doing it to protect you, Ayla and mom"

"Ok, but why won't you tell me what happened last night?"

"Your mother and I will tell you together the things that you need to know"

"When?"

"When the two of us has fixed the Skimmer!"

"But you crashed it so much it'll take days!"

"Don't be rude, it wasn't my fault!" Aerrow said stubborn.

"Then whose fault was it?"

"If it had been 15 years ago I would blame Radarr, but now…"

"The little sky monkey?"

"Exactly, but let's go fix the Skimmer! We have a lot of work to do!"

"I'm ready!"

"Are you properly dressed?"

"No…"

"Eaten?"

"No…"

"Brushed your teeth?"

"I take the hint! I'll be ready in ten minutes!" He said and ran down the hall.

"Try not to wake up Ayla!"

"I'm up daddy!" Ayla shouted with her head outside of the door.

"Ok, but try not to wake up mummy!"

"I'm up too honey" Piper said and laughed.

"Just another quiet morning in the Storm hawks family!" Aerrow said to himself and got up from the bathroom floor.  
"Good morning Honey" Piper said and gave her husband a kiss. "Why were you sitting on the floor?"

"Tyler and I just had a talk and…"

"Mom!" Ayla said waiting for her mother to lift her up. Piper took her up in her arms and kissed her cheek. "Good morning sweetie"

This was something Ayla did every morning, first she went to Piper for a morning kiss and then… "Dad!"

"Good morning girly" he said and gave her a kiss. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, but Tyler was snoring"

"Next time he does, put something up in his nose, that would close him up" Aerrow suggested. "I need to go now Ayla, Tyler is waiting for me"

"Can't you carry me down to the kitchen please?"

"Well…" Aerrow hesitated, thinking about his legs. But when he suddenly saw that Piper got worried again he carried her downstairs. A painful minute later he sat Ayla down at her chair by the kitchen table. "Satisfied?"

"Yes!" She said smiling and laughing. Aerrow loved her smile and gave her a tight hug and a kiss before he went out to the garage.

Tyler was forced to eat some breakfast before he went out to work without Aerrow, so for the moment he was alone in the garage. He took a look on his legs and found out that they would heal without medication. The coughing suddenly started again and Aerrow grabbed the edge of the table trying to stand up, but had to sit down on his knees to not fall. The headache got worse for each second and his vision got blurry. "_Why does this happen?_"

"Dad?"

"Hi T-Tyler" he stuttered and tried to stand up.  
"What's wrong dad?" He asked and supported Aerrow the best he could.

"I'm just a little tired and then I stumbled son, nothing else"

"Are you sure?"

"Yup, wanna start with the Skimmer?"

"Yes!" Tyler quickly forgot about his father stumbling when he could help him fix the skimmer.

The two of them worked hard all day long and Tyler never allowed his dad a break, the Skimmer needed to be finished by the end of the day. Or else it would take a long time before his daddy would tell him the secrets they he and his mother had.

"Why don't we take a little break Tyler?" Aerrow suggested as he could feel the pain in his chest starting to grow again. "I'm still a little tired from yesterday"

"Please dad, I want to know the secret!"

"We'll tell you anyway Tyler, we've already kept it back for so long. It's better that you hear it from than to learn it in school"

"Even Ayla? She's just started at school"

"We'll tell her in a couple of years, but you're old enough son"

"Are you guys still working in here?" Piper asked as she entered the garage.

"I think we're done for the day, or what Tyler?"

"Okay…" he said with a grief-stricken voice.

"Why don't you go inside and play with Ayla? She's been alone all day"

"Okay…" The little boy said again and with slow and long steps he went inside.

"Aerrow you look dead tired" Piper said and hugged him. "I would take a guess that you're tired after yesterday huh?"

"Kinda" He replied and put his arms around her. "A little nap and I'm ok"

"Are you sure?"

"Definitely" He smiled and kissed her tenderly on her soft lips. As he breathed in her scent he could feel a warm, wonderful feeling spread through his body. But suddenly she pulled away.

"But there is something else wrong as well; I can see it in your eyes…you are worried"

"I am Piper"  
"Is there something Dark Ace said?"

"He a lot of things Piper, but you don't have to worry, I'll take care of it"

"Aerrow! We're in this together"

"I'm sorry, not this time. The council decided to not involve you in this case"

"What?! How dare they? I am IN the STUPID council; they can't just throw me out like that!" She was really angry and Aerrow could see that she was close to exploding, and then… "It's you!" She shouted and pointed at him. "You asked them to leave me out of this!"

"Piper, listen to me..."

"No! I will not take this anymore! I've given up almost everything! And now I can't even be in the council? Simply because you're worried? Or couldn't you find a babysitter?"

"I'm truly sorry Piper"

"I'm disappointed Aerrow, I really thought you were different, but you are getting more and more like them" Piper didn't say anything more. She was really disappointed in Aerrow, but she couldn't stay angry when all he wanted was to protect them, could she? "No I'm sorry" She said. "I just need some time to think"

"We will have a new meeting on Monday, and then we'll decide what to do about Dark Ace and the Talons"

"Who is Dark Ace?" All of sudden Tyler stood behind them in the door opening.

"Tyler, we thought you were with Ayla?"

"She was watching some kind of lame TV-show for girls"

"I understand" Aerrow said. "Come here boy"

Tyler walked over to him and was lifted up so I sat on one of the tables in the garage.

"It's not a nice guy, is it?" He could see by the look of his parents' face's that he probably wasn't.

"No he's not Tyler. You have learned something about the war right?"

"Only that Master Cyclonis tried to take over the entire Atmos with the Talons and Raptors, and that you and the other Sky Knights crushed them!" He said while trying to remember the other things he had learned. "The teacher said that we would learn more about it when we were 14-15, and then we would be old enough to understand"

"Sounds like a good idea" Aerrow said. "But there is something we want you to know, ready?"

"I'm ready"

"You know there was another squadron called Storm Hawks before us right?"

"Yes of course! The one grandpa was in, wasn't it?"

"That's right Tyler, but the old Storm Hawks squadron was betrayed by one of their own"

"You're kidding?! Who could do that?"

"It was the man we today call Dark Ace, he was Master Cyclonis right hand during the war and her best soldier"

"It was him that killed your grandfather Tyler" Piper said carefully and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh… but why are you telling me all this now?"

"Because yesterday on our mission… Dark Ace returned"

"Wasn't he killed like Master Cyclonis?"

"No, he and a few other Talons got away and now they are trying to make trouble for people again, trying to make them fear the Cyclonians again"

"But why?"

"We don't know yet Tyler, but that's why I was gone for so long yesterday"

"Ok… but you will get him, right?"

"We will Tyler, it's only a matter of time" Aerrow said and started to rub his neck again.

"I think your dad need some rest now Tyler, why don't you clean up the mess while I take him to bed?"

"Ok, mom" He said and rolled his eyes. "And dad?" he said after him as they were on their way out of the garage.

"Yes son?"

"Thanks"

"No problem" Aerrow smiled tired and walked towards the house.

.:o0o:.

"You look like you just came home from the battlefield" Piper said as they walked into the bedroom.

"Well, thank God I don't smell like it. Remember Junko, Stork, Finn and me after 5 days in the frontline on Terra Amazonia?"

"I was trying to forget that" She said and laughed happily.

"I love to hear you laugh like that" Aerrow said and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Well, I love how you make me laugh" she replied and gave him a quick kiss. It was only 3 in the afternoon, but Aerrow felt as tired as if it was late night. He sat down at the bed and took the oily sweater off before he lay down at the bed. He was exhausted and his head hurt like hell, so the cold pillow was like paradise.

"Want me to close the curtains Aerrow? Aerrow?" Piper turned around and saw that Aerrow already was asleep. He was lying on his back, and with the head on the cold pillow. His left leg and arm was hanging down from the edge of the bed and his right hand was resting on his chest. Piper smiled a bit at the sight, but when she put her hand on Aerrow's forehead her smile disappeared. He was really warm, but shivering of cold. She found a blanket that she pulled over him before she turned off the lights. "Sweet dreams Aerrow" She whispered. "I love you"

**End of chapter 4**

**A/N: So? I would like to know what you think... Sorry if there are some details that confuses you, but I have been working on this story for ages and I can't remember everything... See you next year!**


	5. Secrets hurt

**Chapter 5**

**Secrets hurt**

**A/N: Ok, here I suddenly copied from the previous chapter, don't know why, but whatever... enjoy**

"_Want me to close the curtains Aerrow? Aerrow?" Piper turned around and saw that Aerrow already was asleep. He was lying on his back, and with the head on the cold pillow. His left leg and arm was hanging down from the edge of the bed and his right hand was resting on his chest. Piper smiled a bit at the sight, but when she put her hand on Aerrow's forehead her smile disappeared. He was really warm, but shivering of cold. She found a blanket that she pulled over him before she turned off the lights. "Sweet dreams Aerrow" She whispered. "I love you"_

"Dad!" Tyler suddenly shouted. Aerrow quickly got up from the bed and ran downstairs.

"What's going on?" he shouted desperately.

"Hello Aerrow" A familiar voice said, the voice came from behind.

"Dark Ace! Get the hell away from my son!"

"But we're making such good friends! Aren't we Tyler?"

"Dad, help me!" Tyler said scared. Dark Ace was holding him tight and with an arm around his neck he was hurting him.

"Where is Ayla? And Piper?" Aerrow asked confused.

"You don't know? Oh that's right… you were sleeping! You didn't protect your family and now you have lost them!"

"No!" But suddenly he saw two small figures on the floor behind Dark Ace, and they were not moving… Ayla and Piper...the fear was up to Aerrow's throat and he didn't know what to do. "Let him go, Dark Ace" he begged. "I'll do everything you want"

"It's too late Aerrow!" Dark Ace said and ran out of the door with Tyler in his arms.

"Dad! Please" he could hear his son beg. Aerrow tried to go after his son, but there was so much pain in his chest and he was forced to the ground. "Dad!"

.:o0o:.

"No! Tyler!" Aerrow was shouting and yelling all over. Suddenly he opened his eyes and looked around. "It was a dream" he mumbled to himself. "It was all a dream"

"Daddy what's wrong?" Ayla asked and climbed up in the bed. "You were shouting!"

"I'm sorry Ayla" he said and pulled her into a tight hug. "I only had a bad dream"

"What were you dreaming?" She asked curious.

"There was a monster under my bed" he said trying to stay serious.

"That's scary!" She said shocked. "But why were you shouting 'Tyler'?"

"The monster was dressed like him and suddenly it started tickling me!" he laughed and tickled Ayla under her feet.

"No dad, stop!" She screamed in joy and laughed so much that she was shaking. "Then I'll just tickle you back!"

"No!" Aerrow said, but it was too late. Ayla was already all over him and they were both laughing so much that they were crying. But all the sudden movement made Aerrow's chest hurt and he started to cough, luckily for him it was not as bad as the other attacks, but he had to stop the game. "I'm sorry Ayla" he said. "I'm just very tired"

"Ok, dad" she said a little disappointed. "I'll let you rest some more" Then she walked out with her teddy-bear under her arm. Aerrow lay down again and tried to think about the previous day, what had happened? He knew he had been talking to Dark Ace after the crash, but most of his memory was still blurry.

After 5 minutes Tyler came in to check on his dad. It was already 5 p.m. and it wasn't often that his dad took a nap and slept for that long in the evening.

"Are you ill daddy?" Tyler asked and climbed up in his father's bed.

"No, it's just a little cold son" Aerrow replied and pulled his little boy into a tight hug.

"Will you be well again?"

"Of course Tyler! It's only a matter of time"

"Ok" He replied, but he wasn't convinced. "Want something to eat Pa?"

"Yeah sure, I'll be in the kitchen in 5 minutes. Ok?"

"Great! I'll make you a sandwich or something!"

"Thanks Ty" Aerrow said before he watched Tyler run out of the room in joy. Only seconds after he could hear his son shouting:"Mom! Daddy needs some food!"

Aerrow laughed quietly as he climbed out his bed to find a shirt. He was wearing grey jogging trousers and found a tight white sweater that he pulled on. As he looked himself in the mirror he saw how tired he looked, and his hair was a mess.

"Aah...!" Suddenly a lightning of pain went through his heart and made him cough. He fell down on his knees and gasped for air. His view went blurry and he was close to pass out. The pain so intense and he almost panicked when he couldn't breathe. The minute of pain felt like an eternity and when it was finally over Aerrow was exhausted and sweating. "What did they do to me?" He asked himself frightened.

"Da-ad! The food is ready!" Tyler shouted from the first floor.

"I'm c-coming!" Aerrow replied tired and rose up and slowly walked to the door. While he stumbled down the stairs he took a good grip at the rail and took one step at the time, when he reached the kitchen his whole family was gathered around the table. Piper who was wearing light-blue jeans and a green shirt sat next to his six-year-old daughter Ayla. She was the most beautiful little girl Aerrow had ever seen and he always smiled when he saw his little girl's face. His son was now 12 years old and was already a strong little fighter. He was thin and elegant like his parents, and he had his mother's black hair. Tyler had his father's green eyes and his mother's interest for crystals.

"How are you feeling Aerrow?" Piper asked her husband concerned. She knew him well and she could see that he was far from good.

"Just fine, honey. I just need some food and some rest, that's all"

Piper was happy that her husband did everything to protect their children, and she loved him for that. But when he didn't even tell her how he was doing, she got nervous. She sent him the: we'll-talk-later look and finished her meal in silence.

"Tyler can't you and Ayla go out and play a little?" Piper asked as she filled the dishwasher.

"Okay..." He said hesitating. "Come on Ayla" He said and took his sister's hand.

As soon as they were out of the door Piper put down the plates and turned over to Aerrow. "Will you now tell me what's going on?"

"It's nothing Piper" He said and held around her shoulders.

"How can you say that? Look at you! Your eyes are more grey than green because you're so tired! You have problems with walking and you're white as a ghost!"

"It's just a cold girly, it's normal!"

"Not for you! I can't remember you ever being sick!"

"Well... there's always a first time"

"I give up! It really hurts that you won't tell me Aerrow" She said and walked out of the kitchen.

"Piper, please…I" But then he started coughing and he didn't managed to complete the sentence. Piper ran into the kitchen again when she heard him coughing and laid a hand on his back, she was just about to say something when suddenly the phone called.

"I got it" Piper said. "Hello?"

"Hi, Piper"

"Hi Finn, what's up?"

"Eh... is Aerrow there?"

"Yeah, just a sec" Piper said and handed Aerrow the phone.

"Hi Finn" Aerrow said tired and walked out of the kitchen and upstairs to his bedroom.

"Is it safe?" Finn asked.

"Yup"

"So, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine"

"Fine is not good, are you getting better or worse?"

"Better"

"Am I supposed to believe that?"

"Just let it be Finn!"

"I can't Aerrow! You're my friend! Have you told Piper what happened?"

"No! And now I'm sick and tired of this!"

"Relax man"

"Sorry Finn" He mumbled. "Any news from the council about the Dark Ace?"

"Not yet, but we'll figure out to do on Monday"

"I guess so"

"You're really worried aren't you?"

"Yeah, I had this terrible nightmare… Dark Ace was here and Tyler he… well"

"I understand, I've been watching over Jack and Lily like a hawk"

"Well then I must be the worst father ever, I just sent them out to play alone"

"Piper will look after them, you need to rest"

"Maybe you're right… for once"

"Ha ha, very funny. But go to bed now, I can even _hear _how tired you are"

"Ok, I take the hint. See ya Finn"

"See ya bro, take care"

"I will" He said and hung up. Aerrow took a look at the time at it was no more than 6 o'clock, he had only been up for an hour, but Aerrow was again already sleepy and exhausted.

"Jeez, it's cold in here!" Aerrow said and went to find an extra blanket before he went to bed. "Goodnight Piper" He mumbled, only to realize that she wasn't there.

"_I'll talk to her tomorrow, I'm so tir…_" He thought for himself right before he fell asleep.

**A/N: Sorry short chapter people, but if I write too long I'll just mess it all up! Won't be long before chapter 6 is out. Cheers **


	6. Calm before the storm

**Chapter 6**

**Calm before the storm**

**A/N: OK, since I got so charming reviews after the last chapter I'm posting this one a little early... and again: enjoy**

Weeks past by and Aerrow was getting better, but he was still sleeping a lot. He had still not told Piper everything, he had told her that he crashed, but not of how he couldn't remember what happened afterwards.

.:o0o:.

One morning he opened his eyes slowly and took a deep breath. He turned over to see if Piper was still sleeping, but it turned out she was already up. And he wasn't surprised cause when he looked at the clock it was already 12. He found his clothes and removed the curtains from the window. The sun was shining, but it was easy to see that it would be raining some time during the day. When he walked downstairs he felt a lot better than the days before, he could breathe without any problems, he could move as normal and his sight was normal.

When he walked into the kitchen Ayla, Tyler and Piper was eating breakfast around the table. "Good morning guys! Late breakfast?"

"We tried to wait dad, but we were so hungry" Tyler said.

"No problem Tyler" He said smiling and sat down by the table.

"Do you feel better?" Piper asked without even looking at him, she still knew that he had not told her everything and had been short with him the last 2 weeks.

"Yes, a lot actually"

"Good" Piper said and gave him a small smile. He smiled back and breathed deeply, just to feel how good it was to breathe that easy again. A half hour later they had eaten, talked and laughed a lot, they were all in a good mood this morning, even though Tyler still was sceptical to his father's promise about being fine.

Piper took Ayla upstairs; it was Sunday so she was still wearing her pyjamas.

"Why have you and mummy been fighting?" Tyler suddenly asked. Aerrow was surprised and first he didn't know what to say. "Eeh, well… she wanted orange juice and I apple, and then she wanted..."

"Dad!" Tyler said and punched Aerrow on his arm.

"Ok, Tyler sorry! It was a fight about my last mission, that's all you need to know"

"Was it about Dark Ace?"

"That's enough Tyler" Aerrow said strict and looked his son deep into the eyes.

"Sorry" He said and put the last plate into the dishwasher.

"I understand Ty" Aerrow said and laid a comfortable hand on his shoulder. "I was just as curious when I was on your age"

"So I guess it's your fault I'm like this then" Tyler said and laughed.

"You're blaming me? Come here you little bastard!" He said and grabbed his son so he couldn't run away.

"Stop dad! You know how ticklish I am!"

"Guess why I'm tickling you!"

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Tyler screamed while Aerrow tickled him. "You're ticklish too!"

Aerrow and Tyler continued their fight for a long time, until Piper and Ayla came back downstairs. "What's going on?" Piper asked when she saw her husband and son lying exhausted on the kitchen floor.

"Just a little discussion" Aerrow said smiling and rose up. "Right, Ty?"

"Right" Tyler said and smiled.

Piper gave Aerrow a little smile, but he knew that they had a lot to talk about. "Why don't you take Ayla out for a trip to the park huh?" Aerrow suggested.

"Again? We played together yesterday!"

"Tyler"

"Ok!" He said a little angry. "Ayla, we're going to the park!" He shouted and went upstairs to find her.

A little later Piper looked out the window and saw the two of them walk away.

"Are they gone?" Aerrow asked.

"Yup, let's go out in the living room"

They both sat down at the couch with a little space between them, none of them knew what to say. "I… I'm sorry Piper" Aerrow started and rubbed his neck like a nervous teenager. "It's just that I'm not used to people watching over me like this"

"We've been together for almost 14 years Aerrow, I you're telling me that you're not used to me caring about you?"

"I lived 14 years without anyone caring about me Piper, and it wasn't the same when we were the Storm Hawks, that's about 20 years together Piper"

"Now it's my turn to be sorry Aerrow, our childhoods are so different"

"I know Piper" He said and embraced her. "But soon we'll be rid off Dark Ace and then we can give our children the childhood I never had"

"At least we can agree on something" Piper giggled and kissed him.

"Friends again?"

"Always" She said and kissed him again, this time with more passion than in a long time. Oh God, how much she had missed this. She could feel her heart dance and he stroked his hand through her hair.

Piper and Aerrow stayed in the living room just talking for a couple of hours, it was nice for them to finally have some time for themselves again. "I love you Piper, with all my heart"

"I love you too Aerrow"

"And again I'm sorry"

"Nothing to a apologize"

"Sure?"

"Absolutely"

"Nice to hear, anything I can get for you?"

"A glass of water maybe?"

"Anything for you honey" Aerrow said and kissed her hand. Piper laughed, but as soon as he left the room she got serious. "_Why won't he tell me what happened? Finn won't tell me anything, but maybe Thomas will?_" Piper thought, but was cut off when Aerrow used the sink. It was old and broken like a lot of other things in the house and it made so much noise that it was impossible to think. She turned on the TV and found Aerrow's favourite show. "Hey Aerrow! The show with the Sky Monkey's is on!" Piper shouted, but Aerrow didn't answer. "Aerrow?"

Suddenly she heard a glass falling to the floor and break...

"Aerrow what's going on?" She asked frightened and walked into the kitchen.

"Aerrow!" She screamed in fear when she saw her beloved. He was lying on the floor barely conscious and breathing heavily. "Aerrow, can you hear me? Please" Piper begged as she held him in her arms.

"I… can't… breathe" he said as he gasped for air, but with a lot of pain.

"Hold on Aerrow! I'll call for help" Desperate and scared to death Piper found her cell and called the hospital. As she told the young woman in the phone about what was happening she was shaking so much that she could barely hold the phone.

"We'll be there in 5 minutes"

"Thank you" She mumbled before she hung up. "Did you hear that Aerrow? They will be here soon to help you"

"Great…" He mumbled and closed his eyes.

"Aerrow stay with me, please. Everything will be all right"

"I'm sorry Piper, about everything" He mumbled.

"Shh… don't be, it's going to be ok"

"Tyler, Ayla…"

"They aren't here, don't you worry"

"But I need to… aah" Waves of pain shot through Aerrow and made it impossible to relax.

"Just rest love, I'll be watching you"

"Thanks" He mumbled and closed his eyes.

Piper cried as she was holding him tight trying to make it as comfortable as possible. "Please hurry…." She mumbled. Suddenly she could hear the sirens not far away.

.:o0o:.

Tyler and Ayla walked down the street on their way home from the park, it was starting to get cloudy and Tyler was tired of playing with Ayla. He was lost in his own mind when Ayla suddenly asked… "What are all those cars with light doing outside of our house?"

Fear welled up in Tyler chest "Dad! Come on Ayla!" Tyler ran all that he could and let go of his sister. When he came to the house he was breathing heavily and his face was white with fear. "Hey!" He shouted when he came to the gate.

"Stop there!" A man with a strong voice said and held Tyler so he couldn't get anywhere.

"Let me go, it's my dad!" He shouted and tried to get loose from the strong man's grip. Suddenly two doctors walked out of the house – with Aerrow on a stretcher between them.

"No!" Tyler screamed while tears ran down his cheeks. Behind them came Piper, when she saw Tyler and Ayla her eyes widened and she ran over to him.

"Let my son go" She said and took Tyler away from the man and hugged him. "Dad is going to be ok Tyler" She said and cried. "He only needs some help to get well again"

"He lied to me!" Tyler screamed as Aerrow was taken into the car. "He promised me he was ok!"

"Shh…" Piper said trying to calm him down.

"I hate him! I hate you dad!" He screamed as the car drove away

**End of chapter 6**

**A/N: So… what do you think?**


	7. Helpless

**Chapter 7**

**Helpless**

**A/N: Ok, just so you know I have my reasons for this – I hate hospitals... I think it's wonderful that so many people get help there, but I've been there too many times. So I ended up writing some of these parts really quick, but I hope it's still ok. Enjoy**

The rain was falling heavily on the car glass as they drove towards the hospital. Piper had started the trip in a hurry, but all the rain made her slow down. Ayla was singing in the backseat, not aware of how serious the whole situation was.

"Are you ok Ty?" Piper asked gently, still keeping her eyes on the road.

"Yeah, sure" He mumbled.

"I am angry too, dad should have told us"

Tyler didn't reply he just stared out of the window. "Where is he now?" He asked quietly.

"He's in the ER I guess and is getting some help"

"Will he be alright?"

"I hope so" Piper said and smiled. "Here we are" She said and parked the car near the entrance. The rain was pouring down so they ran inside and went straight to the man behind the counter. "Excuse me, sir, but my husband arrived here a few minutes ago. He's name is Aerrow"

"Oh, yes the Sky Knight. He's with the doctors right now, but you will be able to see him soon"

"Thank you, where can we wait?"

"If you take the elevator to the 3rd floor there is a waiting room on your left side"

"Thanks again" She said and took Tyler and Ayla with her. None of them said anything; it was obvious that the hospital scared Ayla. She held her mother's hand with a tight grip and she didn't say a word. When they got out of the elevator they asked a nurse for Aerrow's room, and when they got there... Piper realized that she wasn't ready for what was waiting her; she swallowed her tears and breathed hard.

Aerrow was being examined by a doctor when they walked in; he was so tired that a nurse had to support him while he sat up. His eyes were dark, but they were lightened up when he saw his family.

"Hi you guys" He said and smiled.

"Hi dad" Ayla said a little insecure and gave him a hug.

"How are you doing?" He asked and stroke Tyler's hair.

"We're fine, but what about you?" Piper said.

"I'm getting better" He smiled. "I got all these nice doctors to help me"

"That's good Aerrow, but could I talk to you for a second?" Piper asked and turned over to the nurse.

"Of course" The nurse said and then he, the doctor, Piper and Ayla left the room, leaving Tyler and Aerrow alone.

It was an uncomfortable silence between the two of them. Aerrow tried to lie back down on the bed, not knowing what to say. Tyler sat down on a chair beside him, not saying anything either. For more than 5 minutes they sat like that, and then Aerrow tried to break the silence.

"Hey little guy, are you o…"

"You lied to me!" Tyler said angry, he wouldn't even look at Aerrow.

"Sh... Tyler, please listen to me" Aerrow said weak.

"NO! I won't listen to you! You're a liar, dad!" He had lost all trust that he'd ever had in his father. He rose up and walked out of the hospital room.

"Tyler, please..." Aerrow rose up from the hospital bed and tried to walk after Tyler, but he was too weak. His legs couldn't carry him and his head hurt more and more for each step. The pain started to grow in his chest and it felt like he had a knife in his heart. He wished he had, because that would be less painful than to know that he had hurt his own son that badly.

Dr. Aaron Sanford had heard all the noise coming from Aerrow's room and walked over to see what was going on. When he saw the patient lying almost unconscious on the floor he ran inside the room and called for another doctor. "Sir, can you hear me?" He asked when he'd got Aerrow up in the bed again.

"Hm?" He couldn't even open his eyes; he was tired of pushing all the pain away so he was close to pass out.

"Why were you out of bed?" Aaron asked as he checked on Aerrow's heart.

"My son Tyler... he ran out..." He whispered weakly.

"Relax, we'll find him. Is your wife here?"

"Yeah she's somewhere around, with my daughter... so she... ah!" New waves of pain shot threw him.

"Are you in pain?" The doctor asked as a habit.

"What the hell does it look like?!" Aerrow shouted angry. "Just find my son!"

"Relax sir"

"I can't when...ah" This was too much for Aerrow's body and he fell back on the bed.

"Sir? Sir, can you hear me?" Aaron called desperately. Aerrow didn't answer and was turning paler for every second. "Stay with me Sky Knight". All of sudden another doctor came running, he checked on Aerrow and tried to help him as best as he could. Aaron was on his way out the door to get more help when he rushed into a woman with the Storm Hawks logo on the left side of her chest.

"Excuse me miss, are you Piper?"

"Yes I am" She said trying to act calm in front of her kids even though the fear started to grow in her heart.

"Is there something wrong with dad?" Tyler asked worried. Aaron looked into the little boy's eyes and didn't know how to explain it. "Where is my dad?" Tyler asked more frightened than he had ever been. Then he ran away and to his father's room.

"Dad!" He screamed in fear as he saw his almost white father at the bed with all the strangers standing around him. Tyler ran to the bed and grabbed his dad's hand. "Dad, I'm so sorry! Please, please wake up dad!"

"Tyler!" Piper shouted and ran over to her son and took him up in his arms, turning him away from Aerrow. "Dad is just resting Tyler, he's going to be just fine" She whispered into her son's ear. She could hear the doubt in her own voice and tears came flowing down her cheeks.

"Can you please watch them for me?" She begged Dr. Sanford, who gave her a quick nod. Then she went back to Aerrow's room to be by her husband's side.

"It's my fault" Tyler whispered to himself. Aaron couldn't hear the boy when he whispered like that, but he after what the boy had said to his father he suspected that he felt guilty about this.

"This isn't your fault, Tyler. You know that, right?"

Tyler didn't answer the doctor and just looked at him with sad eyes. "How do you know my name?"

"Your father told me"

"Oh..." Was all he said.

"But I don't know this little girl's name" He said to Ayla who was standing next to him and held his hand.

"You guess!" She said. "It starts with an A"

"Okey... Annie?"

"No"

"Arabella?"

"No!" She answered and laughed by the doctor's answers.

"Her name is Ayla" Tyler said indifferent.

"You ruined the game..." Ayla said disappointed. "Daddy would have..."

"Well Dad isn't here Ayla!"

"Calm down both of you" The doctor said desperately. "_What have I gotten myself into?_"

"Why don't we just go downstairs in the cafeteria and grab a snack?"

"Yay!" Ayla said and jumped up and down. As they walked away from their father's room a tear ran down Tyler's cheek. "_I must stay strong, just like mom and dad, like Sky Knights. Ayla needs me_"

.:o0o:.

"Is he your husband?"

"Yes, he is doctor" Piper asked and looked down at Aerrow. "How is he?"

"Well... what can I say? His heart is the problem here, and we don't know what's wrong with it. Has anything happened to him recently?"

"As you know he's a Sky Knight, and he was on a mission a few weeks ago... I know that he crashed, but he only injured his legs and got a cold after all the rain. One of his friends did look quite worried, but they never told me anything more"

"I'm sorry to say this, but could you call this friend of his and ask him? We need to know as quickly as possible"

"I understand, I'll go call him. But may I have a moment alone with my husband first?"

"Of course, thank you ma'am" The doctor gave her a comforting smile before he left the room. Piper sat down on a chair right next to Aerrow's bed and held his hand.

He was pale, cold and laid scary still, but the computer's beep told her that he was alive. His breath was quiet and for a moment he had no pain. "What happened to you?" She asked quietly and stroked him over his cheek. This was too much for Piper and she started to cry, she cried more than she had ever done before. "I love you" She whispered and kissed Aerrow's forehead before she went to take the phone call to Finn.

"Excuse me, where can I find a telephone?" Piper asked one of the nurses.

"Down the hall and to the left, ma'am" He answered.

"Thanks" She said and walked down the hall. 2 minutes later she had put in a coin and dialled Finn and Jessica's number.

"Jessica here"

"Hi Jessica, it's Piper"

"Hi Girl! How is Aerrow doing?"

"Not good, I'm calling from the hospital"

"Oh no! Want us to come over?"  
"We can talk about that later, right now I need to talk to Finn"

"Ok, but please...let me know if there is anything I can do"

"I will"

"_Finn! Get your fat ass down here!" "I'm coming, I'm coming"_

"The kids aren't home I see?" Piper asked and giggled.

"No they aren't, so now I can scream as much as I want to" Jessica said satisfied.

"Hello, it's Finn the sharpshooter here"

"Hi Finn, it's Piper"

"Hi Piper! What number are you calling from? I can't recognize this..."

"I'm calling from the hospital Finn, Aerrow is really ill"

"Shit... do they know what's wrong?"

"It's his heart"

"Oh, that makes it really serious"

"Yes, but he's too young and too healthy to have a heart-attack or something and they've checked everything else. Did something happen on the last mission?"

"I..."Was all Finn said before he became quiet "I'm sorry I didn't tell you anything, but I thought Aerrow would"

"Finn, what happened?!"

"I'll explain it to you at the hospital; we'll be there in 20 minutes"

"Ok, thanks. See you soon"

"See ya, and Piper?"

"Yes?"

"He's going to be fine"

"I hope you're right" Piper replied and hung up, then she went back to Aerrow's room.

.:o0o:.

"Try to eat something Tyler" Aaron suggested.

"I'm not hungry"

"Don't you think your dad would have wanted you to eat?"

"He's not here anyway"

Aaron wasn't used to kids and gave up on the little boy. It was easier to talk with Ayla, she was too young to understand how serious the situation was and she probably thought that her dad would be back home tomorrow. "Uncle Finn!" Ayla suddenly shouted.

"Ayla! Tyler!" The man said and walked over to them. Ayla jumped down from her chair and ran over to the blond man. "Are you here to see daddy?" She asked.

"Yes we are" He said and hugged the little girl tight.

"But where are Jack and Lily?"

"They're with their grandma girly"

"Oh..." She said disappointed.

"Hi Tyler!" Finn said and made himself ready for the big jump that Tyler usually made to say hello to his 'uncle'. But all the boy said was a low "Hi"

"Who are you?" Asked Finn when he saw Aaron standing next to Tyler.

"My name is Aaron Sanford, I'm one of Aerrow's doctors, Piper asked me to watch the kids for an hour or so"

"Ok, well now you're free man" Finn said and laughed. "My wife and I will take the kids"

"Ok..." Aaron said a little suspicious, but it seemed like the kids knew these people so...

"Relax" Jessica said. "Finn here is a Storm Hawk and we're close friends of Piper and Aerrow" To prove it she showed him his ID.

"I guess it's OK then" He said and smiled. "Hope you understand me being suspicious" he said and chuckled. I hope your friend will be back on his feet soon"

"Thanks Dr. Sanford" Then Jessica and Finn took the kids and walked up to find Aerrow's room.

.:o0o:.

Piper was sitting by her husband's side while he was sleeping, it was not a peaceful sleep, but at least he got some rest.

"What did they do to you?" She asked him quietly, but as expected she wasn't given any answer. The helplessness was tearing her apart; the man she loved was right here in front of her, but still so far away...and there was nothing she could do. She held his hand tight and she could feel how weak it was, she stroke the palm of his hand slowly and tried to comfort him the best she could, but she realized that it helped herself more than it helped Aerrow. "Please come back to me" She pleaded as a tear ran down her cheek. She closed her eyes and could almost feel Aerrow's hand take the single crystal blue tear away and kiss her cheek. But it was all a dream. Dreams – one of the few things that could comfort her in this sad time. She tried to find comfort in knowing that Aerrow had done all this to protect their children, and they both agreed that the kids came first no matter what. But still, she couldn't imagine raising the kids without Aerrow.

There was a small table standing right next to Aerrow's bed, but there was nothing except a little flower and a picture lying on it. Piper lifted the picture carefully as it was a little treasure and took a good look at it. She remembered it as it was yesterday that the picture was taken, but it had already been 7 years. The picture illustrated a happy and proud big brother sitting on Aerrow's Skimmer with his little sister on the lap. Aerrow and Piper were standing behind them with their arms wrapped around them. This had been one of the best days of Piper's life, it was two days after Ayla was born and it was the day they were taking her home for the first time. Things seemed so easy at that time. Not that it was easy to handle two small kids, but at least she didn't have to do it alone. Before she met Aerrow Piper had always felt alone, but never since.

All these thoughts and feelings made Piper tired, and when the kids were gone she could finally get some sleep. She wouldn't leave Aerrow alone in case he woke up, so she laid her head on the bed and fell asleep with her head right next to Aerrow's heart. She thought she could hear it beat slowly, but strong as she drifted into a peaceful sleep…

**End of chapter 7**

**A/N: Not the most exciting chapter I know, but let me know what you think, it really means a lot… or else I won't improve! Cheers**


	8. Broken

**Chapter 8**

**Broken**

**A/N: Enjoy**

"Do you remember where Aerr...ehh…Daddy's room is?" Finn asked Tyler.

"Yes of course, third floor, room number 142, it has a green door with a broken handle"

"Ok! Nice observations my little Sky Knight!"

"Thanks!" Tyler said proud and smiled for the first time that day. It meant a lot to him to hear this from his uncle, especially since he was a Sky Knight. But the smiled quickly disappeared when he actually saw the door to his father's room. The door was closed, but Tyler knew exactly what was behind it. He slowed down so he walked behind Ayla, he didn't wanted to see his dad like this. Weak, pale, so vulnerable. He was used to see him as one of the strongest of all Sky knights in the entire Atmos, but now he was too weak to speak or even smile. He saw Finn open the door and then he took a deep breath before he walked in.

.:o0o:.

Finn had to fight to keep his feelings under control when he entered the room. He saw Piper sleeping by Aerrow's bed, and then he saw Aerrow. His best friend in the whole world and the strongest man he knew was lying in a hospital bed. Finn was glad that Ayla was too young to really understand, but he felt really sorry for Tyler. He couldn't even imagine what the little kid was going through.

As he walked over to the bed he told Ayla to be quiet so she wouldn't wake up Piper, at least not with a scream or something like that. "Go to Aunt Jessica so will I wake up your mom"

"Ok!" She whispered and walked quietly over to Jessica. Tyler was standing by the door and looked down on the floor.

"Piper? Time to wake up, it's me - Finn"

"Finn?" She mumbled. "Finn you're here!" She said and hugged him. "Sorry, I fell asleep" She said and looked at Aerrow. "But I was so tired"

"Nothing to be sorry about!" He said and smiled the best he could. "How is he doing?"

"Ok I guess" She said and looked towards Tyler and Ayla, she didn't wanted to give Finn the details while they were here. "But I need to know what happened" She said seriously.

"I understand"

"Why don't I take the kids out to the park?" Jessica suggested. "I think you guys could need some fresh air after a day in here"  
"Great!" Piper said, she didn't like to have her kids around the hospital so Jessica's suggestion was more than welcome. Piper gave Ayla a warm hug and kissed her forehead. "I love you"

"I love you too mom"

Then Piper walked over to Tyler, she knew her son and could see that he felt guilty in all this. "Tyler, listen to me. None of this is your fault, your dad wasn't careful enough and he was surprised"

Tyler just nodded, but didn't say anything. His mother's words didn't help at all, he knew it was like her duty to say so. "I love you son, and so does your dad. No matter what"

"I love you too mum" Tyler said with a low voice, and then he left the room with Jessica and Ayla.

Finn grabbed a chair and sat down next to Piper by Aerrow's bed. "Hi bro" He said and touched his hand, it was so cold! Finn was shocked and it was like he suddenly realized how real this actually was.

"Do you promise to tell me everything?" Piper asked and sat down at a chair next to him.

"This time, I do" He said without taking his eyes off Aerrow. "This has gone way too far already"

"Yeah..."

Then Finn started their story about how they got surprised by Dark Ace and how he'd crashed Aerrow's skimmer and what happened to his legs, and then how he had trouble breathing, how his neck was sore and the rest.

"You tell me that his neck was sore? Because he's been rubbing his neck for the last weeks" Piper said and looked at her husband. "Maybe...no" She mumbled. "But how can he get so sick of a sore neck?"

"Maybe he did something more" Finn said and rose up to feel Aerrow's neck. "There's a small wound here"

"I'll get one of the doctors to come look at it, ready to tell the story to one more?"

"Everything for Aerrow"

"Great" Piper walked out and left Finn alone with Aerrow.

"Are you still there bro?" He asked carefully, but as expected Aerrow never answered. "Get well soon then, maybe we're able to find you a medicine as well" He smiled.

.:o0o:.

Tyler sat at the park bench and watched Ayla, Lily and Jack play with Jessica. The sun was shining again and Tyler was already looking forward till the next time he and Aerrow could spend a whole day up there. If it was possible.

"You ok?" Jessica asked and sat down next to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine"

"You sounds just like your father" She said and smiled. "I'm probably not the first one to tell you that none of this is your fault?"

"Nope"  
"But you're still blaming yourself, how could this possibly be your fault?"

"I upset him, I shouted and I told him that I hate him" He said with a low voice.

"Maybe you should go talk to him then?"

"Why? He won't hear me"

"I think your dad hears more than you think" She said and smiled. "Give it a try"

Tyler didn't say anything when Jessica left to watch the others again, but maybe she was right. It had been almost two hours since Jessica took them out to play.

"_Maybe dad is awake_" he thought and decided to take the chance.

.:o0o:.

"So, did you find anything?" Piper asked the doctor. They had been testing Aerrow for about two hours and Piper had been pleading for the results for 1 hour and 55 minutes.

"We don't have all the results yet, ma'am"

"Not all? But you have some?"

"Sit down and wait, ma'am"

"Any idea of how many times you've told me that?"

"24 ma'am, I keep my count"

Piper was really frustrated, but tried to hide it and sat down in the waiting. "I'm sorry"

"No problem, I've had wives screaming to me and ripping my hair in desperation"

"Well, since I'm not doing all this, does it make me a bad wife?" She asked tired.

"Absolutely not, you're a Sky Knight as well aren't you?"

"Yes"

"Then you're trained to handle these situations in the exact same way as you're doing now, right?"

"I guess so" She said and dried a couple of tears. "Thanks"

"You're welcome ma'am"

"Please, call me Piper"

"As you wish" He said and smiled warmly. Suddenly his phone called, and a couple of minutes later he hung up. "Good news Piper, they have the results"

"That's amazing! Can you help him now?"

"You have to wait a second, let's go in to Aerrow's room and have a talk"

"Great" She replied and called for Finn.

.:o0o:.

Tyler walked up the stairs to the third floor where his father was. He knew exactly what he was going to say even if Aerrow wasn't awake; he really wanted to do this. "_I owe him that_"

When he walked down the hallway he suddenly got a creepy feeling like someone was watching him. He turned around to check, but he couldn't see anyone. "_Weird_"

He walked over to Aerrow's room and opened the door carefully. "Dad?"

No one answered so he walked in and closed the door, and then he grabbed a chair and sat down next to Aerrow's bed. Tyler had to fight to keep his tears back when he saw his father's face. He was really pale and he was getting seriously skinny as well. Tyler could see how he struggled to breathe and his chest was barely moving.

"Hi dad" He started with a low voice. "Can you hear me?" No response

"I just wanted to tell you that…I'm sorry, I'm sorry for everything. I wish there was something I could…"

Suddenly Tyler heard his mother's voice outside of the hospital room, and he didn't want her to see him. He quickly rose up and hid in the closet. The door opened and Piper, Finn and two doctors walked in. he recognized one of them, it was Dr. Sanford, but the other one he didn't know.

"Piper, as we told you we found something"

"Yes that I understand, please tell me what you found now"

"You may want to sit down"

At that moment all hope disappeared from Piper's heart, it was not good news they were bringing her - that was obvious. "I'm ready" She replied nervous and sat down.

"We took some new tests and some old again, and found out that… he is poisoned"

"Wha…what?" She stuttered. "Poisoned?"

"Yes, when the poison reached his heart in made every single drop of blood that came to the heart poisoned as well, and that destroyed his entire body"

Tyler had to concentrate to not make a sound; this was a shock for him as well. "_Who would poison dad?" _He thought. "_Dark Ace! It must be him…_"

"But you can help, him? Right?" Piper asked frightened.

"Please tell us" Finn added.

"I'm sorry; we don't even know what kind of poison this is, it's new to us"

Tyler gasped when he heard what the doctor said. He couldn't imagine a life without his dad, it was sad enough without a grandfather.

"I'll leave you alone for a while, after that we'll discuss the treatment"

"Thanks, and just one more thing doc" Finn said. "If you see my wife Jessica with the kids, don't tell her anything, I'll do it"

"As you wish" He said and closed the door.

"Dark Ace!" Finn screamed in violent anger, every muscle in his body tensed as he tried to keep his fists for himself. "We need to get him!" He then mumbled. "Everything is going to be alright – I'll find him" He said trying to comfort her best he could.

"How can you say that?!" She shouted and rose up. "He's dying Finn! What about the kids? How will they take it? How can I tell my children that their father won't come home?"

"I'm sorry, Piper" Finn stuttered.

"No I'm sorry" She sobbed as she tried to dry her tears.

"We'll get through this" He said, but he could hear the doubt in his own voice. It was hard for them all to imagine a life without Aerrow.

"I don't what I'll do without him, Finn. I'm so afraid to fall asleep and that he won't be there when I wake up" She sobbed in his arms.

"You got to remember how strong Aerrow is, if there is one man that can pull this through…"

"It's Aerrow" Piper finished. "I know"

"So what do you say? Want to swallow all this down with a cup of coffee?"

"Sorry, I can't leave him Finn"

"I'm sure he'll understand when he wakes up, you're starving!"

"I'm not!" She said, but the sound from her stomach said something else. "All right then"

"Great, come on now" He said and gently pushed her towards the door.

"Wait a sec" She said and ran back to Aerrow, kissed his cheek and whispered something Tyler couldn't hear. When they had left the room and closed the door Tyler crawled out of the closet and sat down by his father's bed again.

"I'm going to help you dad, just wait" He said confident and walked out without looking back.

.:o0o:.

"Hi Piper" Jessica said as she walked in to the café where she and Finn was sitting. "Any news?"

"Yes" Finn replied cold.

"What did they say, mom?" Ayla asked.

"Sweetie" Piper started and lifted Ayla up on her lap. "Daddy won't be home for a while, but the doctors are doing everything they can to make sure your father will be home soon"

"But he will come home, right?"

"Eeeh… sure honey" Piper replied all lost for words. "Where is Tyler?"

"You didn't see him? He went in to talk to Aerrow"

"We haven't seen him since you guys went out to play"

"He must be here somewhere" Piper said with fear growing inside her chest. "_Dark Ace threatened our kids, could it be him?_"

They spent the rest of the day searching for Tyler but he was nowhere to be seen. Finn had contacted the council and they had sent out someone to look for him as well. Thomas was one of the guys they sent out and he was really worried about the little kid and he couldn't believe that he'd ran away. "_I owe Aerrow this, I have to find Tyler before he wakes up or Aerrow's never going to make it_" He thought desperate and speeded up.

**End of chapter 8**

**A/N: Wow, this is going fast… I have whole story finished except from the ending, I had to see the reviews first and see how the story turned out… I still need reviews! You all know how good it feels to open your mail and see that someone bothered to comment on your story… right?**


	9. Missing

**Chapter 9**

**Missing**

**A/N: Enjoy**

Aerrow could barely open his eyes with all the light around him, his eyes were red and sore and he had no idea of where he was. He could hear someone cry beside him, but he couldn't see who it was.

"Piper? Is that you?" He asked weakly.

"Aerrow?" The small voice asked "Yes honey it's me!" She sobbed and took his hand. "How do you feel?"

"Let's not talk about that" He said and lifted himself a bit up. "How are you doing?"

"We're all doing fine Aerrow" She said and kissed him gently on the cheek.

"How long have I been sleeping?"

"Almost two days"

"Crap…"

"No! You needed it, trust me"

"Of course I trust you" He smiled weakly and gently stroke her hand.

"Finn… he told me everything" Piper stuttered.

"I… I don't know what to say…"

"No need to, I understand" She said, but Aerrow could sense that it wasn't the whole truth.

"Are you in pain?" She asked.

"_My time to lie_" He thought. "No honey, everything is alright now"

"_I wish it was so_" Piper thought, she too knew that he was lying. "That's good"

"Did the doctors find anything?"

"Yes, they did" She said and took a deep breath, unable to look at Aerrow.

"Piper, love" He said and touched her cheek. "Look me right into the eyes when you tell me this, please"

"Ok" She sobbed and dried some tears away from her face. "Dark Ace… poisoned you Aerrow, and they… they don't know what to do about it. They don't know what it is" Now she was crying without limits, tears streamed down her cheeks and landed on her white shirt. "I'm so sorry" She sobbed.

"Sh… this isn't your fault" He comforted as best he could. "Come here" he moved a little to the left and made some space for Piper. She lay down next to him and he wrapped his arms around her. "What you just told me means that I won't be here for much longer"

"Don't say such things, we'll find a way"

"Piper, please don't make this even worse than it already is" He sobbed.

"I love you Aerrow, the kids love you, and your friends love you"

"I know" He said and kissed her head. "I'm lucky have had you guys"

"You will always have us" She said and looked him right into his big green eyes.

Then they shared a kiss so full of love and passion that it could last forever. "I love you Piper, always"

"I'll never forget that" She whispered and buried her face in his chest and cried silently.

After a little while Aerrow was about to go back to sleep, but he managed to keep himself awake a little longer and he turned around to the half-sleeping Piper again. "Where are Ayla and Tyler? I need to... speak with them as well"

"Ayla is with my dad…"

"And Tyler?"

"Aerrow" She paused. "Tyler has been missing for two days" She cried.

"What? No! He can't be!" Aerrow panicked.

"Shh… it doesn't seem like the Dark Ace took him"

"But Tyler would never run away! I promised that I would protect him!"

"He was really upset after the fight between the two of you, but Jessica convinced him to go talk to you and she was the last one to see him" Piper sobbed.

"I have to find him"

"No! You have to stay here, please"

"How can I stay here when he might be in danger?"

"Every Sky Knight in the entire Atmos is looking for him! Including Jessica, Finn, Thomas and everyone else we know"

"And you?"

"I came back to check on you"

"Does Ayla know that he's gone?"

"No, I told her that he stayed with a friend"

"That's good, but Piper… do you seriously expect me to just lay here?"

"In case he comes back" She said.

"But…" He started and tried to rise up, but as he did a wave of pain hit him and he cried out in agony.

"Aerrow!"

"I'm fine" He mumbled between clenched teeth.

"No you're not!" She screamed. She was losing him again and she could see the colour fade away from his chin. "Don't leave me now Aerrow! Not without saying goodbye to Tyler and Ayla!"

"I won't, I promise" He mumbled and lay down again. Then he closed his eyes and faded away.

"_Sleep my Sky Knight, your son will be home soon_"

.:o0o:.

"_I think I'm on the right way now_" He thought for himself. "_Dad said something about a little Terra west for the evening sun... and there it is!_" Tyler could barely see it, but it was there; the little unnamed Terra where Dark Ace and the other Talons were. Tyler suddenly felt a little wave of fear appear in his chest, according to his dad Dark Ace was a cruel man that wouldn't hesitate on killing him. "_Even me? I'm just a kid..._"

Suddenly he spotted another skimmer flying long way in front of him, and it was flying towards the Terra! Tyler gave a little more speed and decided to fallow the stranger and see if he could find out more about where the Dark Ace was.

Five minutes later he was getting closer and prepared himself for a landing. "_The landing..._" He thought. "_Oh no... Dad didn't teach me this part..._" He tried to focus as best he could and looked for a safe landing spot. Unfortunately there was none...

"_Ok, what did he say the last time? Slow down, go low and take in the wings right before you hit the ground. Sounds easy enough..._" Tyler agreed with himself that it sounded easy, but proved itself to be something quite different. "_Here it goes_" He thought for himself and lowered the skimmer and slowed down. The lack of experience really got to him when it came to find a good landing spot, but there was a small opening in the forest that he decided to go for. "_Easy... easy_" He thought concentrated.

THUD!

Tyler hit the ground hard and loud, but luckily he was ok, and the skimmer seemed ok too. He pushed it into the bushes and hid himself as well. "I need to find that man..." He mumbled.

"Not if he finds you first" a dark voice said from behind. Tyler turned around and saw...

"Dark Ace!" Tyler screamed in fear...

**End of chapter 9**

**A/N: Da, da, da damm! Short chapter, I know, but it won't be long before chapter 10 is out! And that's a long one… perhaps the last? Wait and see…**


	10. How to save a life

**Chapter 10**

**How to save a life**

**A/N: I'm terribly sorry that this took so long, but I just got my computer back! The last chapter was really short, but this is a long one! Think about the title as you read, there some meaning to it. There is more than one life to save here!**

**Kos dere!**

The little Terra they had spotted on their mission two weeks earlier suddenly appeared in front of Thomas.

"_Great! I was afraid I wouldn't find it at all!_" He thought for himself and lowered the speed. Dark clouds had started to appear on the big sky and the sun was fading away as the night approached. "_There's going to a lot of rain tonight_"

Since Thomas was sure of the rain he hid his skimmer in the forest under some bushes, a wet and destroyed skimmer would do him no good.

He turned out to be right, not long after the rain started pouring down and he got all soaked up.

"_Great, this will make it a lot easier to find Tyler_" He thought sarcastically and started to look for traces.

After walking in the forest for 20 minutes Thomas was about to give up, he could hardly see anything and if Tyler wasn't here this would be a waste of time. But the moment he turned around to go back he heard a scream.

Without thinking he ran towards the voice, he stopped and hid himself behind a tree when he reached the end of the forest. "_Dark Ace_!" He thought shocked, he had Tyler!

Thomas was about to leap forward, but then he saw that there were more soldiers with Dark Ace. He wouldn't stand a chance. He had no other choice but to watch the talons take Tyler with them into an underground cave, the poor boy was shouting angrily at Dark Ace and then they disappeared.

He ran deeper into forest again to hide while he called Finn.

"Finn, this is Thomas, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear Thomas, what's going on? Where are you?"

"I'm at that Terra where Aerrow crashed, Dark Ace is here and he has Tyler"

"Oh boy... I'm glad you found him though, we'll be there in 20 minutes I think, how many Talons?"

"No more than 20 and Dark Ace I think, I can go in there and see if I..."

"Thomas, don't go in there! Tyler will be ok for a few more minutes"

"I'm not so sure, sir"

"Please wait, we can't risk that you might end up as Aerrow"

"It's worth it... he's just a kid!"

"Ok, take a look, but be careful"

"I will, any news about Aerrow?"

"He's only getting worse, if we're lucky we can find something that can help him"

"Let's hope so, see you guys soon" Then he hung up and walked back towards the cave entrance. The sun was on its way down and it was getting darker...

"_I hope all this comes to an end soon_"

.:o0o:.

Aerrow tried to get some sleep, but he was too worried about Tyler. They still hadn't found him... It was already getting darker outside - and cold too. Piper's father had brought Ayla over so Aerrow could get some alone time with his daughter – it was one of the worst things he had ever been through. Looking at his beautiful smiling daughter and not being able to tell her goodbye, she wouldn't understand. He embraced her and told her to be strong, no matter what, and how much he loved her. He stroke his weak hand through her soft hair and cried. She smiled at him and dried his tears away, saying that he had to be strong too.'

It broke his heart.

Piper had left a little earlier to go searching for Tyler with the others, and he suddenly discovered that she had left one of her radios behind and when he lifted it up a new message came on the frequent.

"_Finn, this is Thomas, can you hear me?"_

"_Loud and clear Thomas, what's going on? Where are you?"_

"_I'm at that Terra where Aerrow crashed, Dark Ace is here and he has Tyler"_

"_Oh boy, I'm glad you found him though, we'll be there in 20 minutes I think, how many Talons?"_

"_No more than 20 and Dark Ace I think, I can go in there and see if I..."_

"_Thomas, don't go in there! Tyler will be ok for a few more minutes"_

"_I'm not so sure, sir"_

That was all he needed to hear...

.:o0o:.

Thomas saw the cave entrance and he couldn't see any guards. "_They're probably not expecting company, at least not yet_" He thought and took the first step down. He could hear the guards talking on the levels below and tried to stay quiet. If he were to be discovered he wouldn't have a chance, and he might end up hurting Tyler more than he helped him.

At the moment there was no place to hide, if the Talons came after him his only chance would be to run. Thomas could hear his heart beating wildly as he walked down slowly step by step. The deeper and lower he got the colder and darker it got. "_Wonder if Tyler had his jacket_" He thought, but couldn't remember. "_The boy must be freezing to death_"

Thomas could feel his worry grow, even though he hardly knew the boy. "_Can't imagine what Piper and Aerrow feels like, I have to find him... for their sake_"

With many careful steps he managed to get down to the lower levels without anyone seeing him. But as he took the last step down the stairs he could hear footsteps and voices coming closer. He held his breath and moved slowly into a dark wall and stood as still and silently prayed that they didn't have flashlights with them.

"Can't wait for the Sky Knights to show up, so Dark Ace can get over this revenge-thing"

"Yeah I know, but I don't want to be the one that has to kill the brat"

"No way, we'll leave that to Dark Ace"

"_It's even worse than I thought; they're going to kill him just to get to Aerrow and Piper!_"

"That's for sure, come on let's get up and get some fresh air"

Thomas waited till he couldn't hear their steps before he came out of his hiding place. The underground cave was very dark and since there was no light he could hardly see the small path in front of him. After a few more minutes the path split into two. "_Just my luck_" he thought angry. But when he suddenly could see light coming towards him from the path to the left – the choice was easy. He ran down the other path as fast and as silent as he could. Suddenly he could see a little light in the end of the tunnel(haha... he's not dying just so ya know) and he slowed down. He came into a little room with dark walls, but thanks to a lamp in the ceiling he could see where he sat his feet. Thomas couldn't see anyone in the room, but suddenly...

"Thomas?!" A little voice asked in disbelief.

"Tyler! Here you are" He said and smiled. "Let's get you out of here" The poor boy was locked in a cell without a bed, only a blanket.

"Is dad...?"

"He's still alive Tyler, but how are you doing?"

"I-I'm fine, just a little cold... and scared"

"No need to be, I'm here now" Thomas said and used his blade to open the cell door. "Your mother and the others are on their way"

"That's good" He mumbled and came out of the dark. Thomas laid a hand on Tyler's cheek to see if he was hurt, but... "Boy, you're ice cold!"

"Yeah, it's a little chilly down h-here"

"Here take this jacket" He said and handed him his coat.

"Thanks" Tyler said and smiled. "I'm glad you're here" Then he embraced his new friend. Thomas was surprised, but returned the hug – he knew the boy needed it.

"I couldn't let you rot down here with Dark Ace, now could I?"

"No" said a dark voice behind Thomas. "But you should"

Thomas turned around and looked Dark Ace straight into the red glowing eyes. The Dark Ace took a grip around Thomas' throat and lifted him up. The young man gasped for air and tried to kick Dark Ace away. His eyes were wide with fear but finally he managed to get a kick in his ribs forcing Dark Ace to let go of Thomas. Tyler watched with horror as his friend fell hard to ground and gasped for air. Tyler shouted angry and ran to help Thomas, but Dark ace saw him coming and knocked the boy over, he hit his head hard in the wall and fell to the ground, holding his hands to his throbbing head. A small river of blood came down the right side of his pale face.

"Let him be" shouted Thomas with a hoarse voice. Dark Ace growled and placed himself between Thomas and the fallen boy. Thomas through himself at his enemy, and as they both landed hard on the ground he hit Dark Ace hard on the cheek and he fell back.

Just when Thomas thought he was one step ahead 5 talons came running in – they had heard all the noise from the fighting. They threw themselves over Thomas and forced his hands painfully behind his back and pulled him away from Dark Ace.

"Thought you could take me down, eh?"

"6 to 1 seems a little unfair to me" Mumbled Thomas.

Dark Ace's eyes glowed with anger and then he punched Thomas so hard that you could hear his ribs crack, followed by a punch that made his lips bleed. Thomas screamed in pain and gritted his teeth. Dark Ace smiled by the sight of the blood and pulled something out of his pocket. "I got a little surprise for you"

Thomas looked at the man with fear as he realized what was in his hand. "No, no!" He said and tried to get out of the Talons' grip, but Dark Ace grabbed his hair and pulled his head back and with a sudden move the needle was in Thomas' neck. A new scream of agony escaped Thomas's lips before he fell to his knees – and everything went dark.

"Thomas!" Shouted Tyler and ran over to him. "Wake up!" He shouted as he shook the limp body. "What did you do to him?"

"The same thing as I did to your father, and now he's dying too" He said and pointed at Thomas.

"No, he won't! I'll get the cure" He said stubbornly.

"You think I'll give you the antidote?"

"_At least now I know there is one_" Tyler thought.

"Lock this idiot up and take Tyler here down to the big room" Dark Ace said. "And let us wait for his father"

Tyler watched as they locked Thomas up in his cell before he was lifted up by his arms and carried away. "Let me go! It hurts!"

"Be a little careful with that kid" Another Talon said to Dark Ace.

"What did you just say, idiot? This is his own fault" He growled. "Now get the antidote, so he can watch me destroy it right in front of his eyes"

"Yes, Dark Ace" The talon mumbled. Tyler could see how they looked at each other, this wasn't what they wanted.

"Help me" Tyler formed the words with his lips and he could see the Talon understood, and then he couldn't see them anymore.

.:o0o:.

"Stay there" Dark Ace said and threw Tyler on the ground.

"_No way_" He thought and as soon as Dark Ace had turned his back to him he made a leap and tried to run towards the opening.

"Get back here!" Dark Ace shouted. Tyler smiled as he thought of freedom and the fresh air than waited for him outside, but as he reached the opening he crashed into the talons.

He felt a tight grip around his arms and he screamed to let them go, but they didn't listen.

"Be quiet" A talon said and placed him back where Dark Ace stood.

"Good" Dark Ace mumbled.

Tyler stared angry at the Talon – he thought they would help him!

"Where is the antidote?" Dark Ace asked.

"It's gone Dark Ace, and so are we"

"It's gone? Gone? What do you mean idiots?"

"We're tired of this game of yours!"

Tyler couldn't believe what he was hearing. They were leaving? The antidote was gone? Suddenly he could feel a small bottle in his pocket – the antidote! The talon must have placed it there when he caught him. He smiled weakly and watched as Dark Ace was screaming to the Talons of how he could take down Aerrow alone.

"You!" He suddenly shouted and turned over to Tyler.

.:o0o:.

Aerrow could finally see the little Terra in front of him, ha had stolen the first skimmer he had found outside the hospital and taken off. The hardest part had been to sneak out of the hospital, with doctors everywhere. The rain was still pouring down and it was hard to see. When he landed he could see traces of a skimmer who had crashed and slid along the forest opening.

"_It has to be Tyler! Unless this is where I crashed_" He thought, but he couldn't remember. He followed footprints on the ground all the way to a cave opening – he was lucky that the rain hadn't washed it all away. The pain in his chest had gotten worse since he left the hospital, without medication he knew he wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer. "_I have to find Tyler before it's too late_" Then he went down the cave opening. His senses weren't as sharp as they used to, but luckily he didn't make much noise.

Also Aerrow came to the place where the path split in 2, but he could hear voices from the path to the left and he carefully walked towards the voices. "_He's got to be here_" Aerrow thought and put his hand against his pounding head. His head hurt so much that his vision became blurry. He stumbled a few steps before he pulled himself together and moved on. The path got wider and wider and when he saw the light in the end he pressed himself up against the wall to stay in the shadows. With one careful step at the time he slowly got closer to the room where his missing son was. God how he wished to run in there and just grab him and hold him till everything was alright again, but he knew he couldn't. He had to fight first. Suddenly a group of Talons came towards him, towards the tunnel. There was no place to hide and he almost panicked, if they captured him now he would never be able to save Tyler! As the first talon spotted him he gasped, but was shocked when they didn't shout to the Dark Ace that he was there.

"Take him down" The talon mumbled. "We don't want anything more to do with this"

"I..." Aerrow stuttered, but before he knew they had walked pass him, no one offered him any help.

"You!" He could hear Dark Ace shout.  
"Hey, stay away from me!" Another voice shouted.

"_It's Tyler!_" Aerrow couldn't wait any longer with a few quick steps he was in the big hall and now he could see Tyler. "Dark Ace!" He shouted. His voice was filled with so much rage and anger as only a frightened father's voice can.

"Dad!" He shouted.

"Stand still Tyler, this will be over soon"

"That's what you think Sky Knight, this is far from over"

"Let my son go, it's me you want"

"But if I let your son go, he'll give you the antidote"

"Antidote?" Aerrow asked confused and looked at his son.

"They said that you were poisoned dad, and I wanted to help you" Tyler said.

Aerrow was speechless and stumbled a couple of steps backwards.

"Shocked Aerrow?" Dark Ace said. "Your son came here because of _you... you _will be the one that caused his death"

Horrible pictures ran through Aerrow's mind and he was unable to speak.

"Dad?" Tyler said carefully and tried to reach out for his father, but Dark Ace held him back.

"Stand still brat"

Suddenly... in Dark Ace's moment of distraction, Aerrow made his move. He leaped forward and pointed his blades right at Dark Ace. He screamed fiercely as he sent his lightning claw attack towards his enemy. It hit him so hard that he flew several meters backwards and slammed into the walls behind him.

Aerrow landed hard on the floor, but he managed to stand. "T-Tyler... are you alright?" He asked scared and touched the bruise on his son's forehead.

"Yes, dad, it's just a scratch"

"That's good, now run"

"What? I can't leave you!"

"You saved my life Tyler, now let me save yours, please get out of here!"

"Too late for that!" Dark Ace screamed and ran towards them. Aerrow pushed Tyler behind his back and managed to put his blades up in defence only a short moment before Dark Ace crashed into them. Aerrow pushed him back and then fell to his knees, the pain shot through his body again and it became hard to breath. "Tyler, your mother and the others are on their way, get out of here and show them where to go" He whispered.

Tyler swallowed hard and nodded. "Will you b-be ok?"

"Of course son, now go!" He shouted and pushed him away.

"He won't get far" Dark Ace said and shot a bullet of red light towards Aerrow, it barely missed his head.

"Your Talons are gone Dark Ace! They are sick and tired of your war"

"You were once strong Aerrow, the family life has made you weak!"

"You're wrong, I'm stronger than ever!" And as to prove it he attacked him again, and again and again. Using all his energy on the fight, he felt himself getting weaker. He could hardly block Dark Ace's attacks anymore and his own attacks weren't as strong.

"Your falling Aerrow!" Dark Ace said and managed to knock him in the head. Aerrow fell to the ground, breathing heavily. "Are you in pain?!" He shouted and set his foot on his chest.

"Aah!" Aerrow cried and grabbed his foot to stop the pain.

"I've dreamed of this moment since the war" He said as he laughed silently.

"Yeah, you... should be proud" Aerrow mumbled and rose up slowly, but he was stumbling terribly and clutching his hand to his chest.

"Oh I am, just look around you Aerrow I've crushed you! When your family arrives they will find you dead, and then I'll kill them and hunt down your little daughter... and slice her throat!"

"You're sick Dark Ace!" Aerrow said and lifted his blades. "I will not let you hurt them, never!" The crystal in his blades started to glow more than ever and a blue aura surrounded him.

"No, that won't work Sky Knight, you're too weak!" Dark Ace screamed and made a leap towards Aerrow.

"Lightning Claw!"

2 bullets of lightning, red and blue, hit each other with enormous power and the entire cave shook. Aerrow couldn't feel anything, neither could he see anything. Everything was white... but suddenly he could feel himself hit the ground and he felt his breath getting knocked out of him. He gasped and tried to focus his sight, he could now see the cave walls, and then the ground, and then... he saw Dark Ace. He was lying on the ground, and he wasn't moving. Aerrow slowly got up on his feet and stumbled towards Dark Ace, each new step was more painful than the last, but he had no know. He sat down on his knees next to the limp body and gently pushed Dark Ace over to his back. But suddenly a strong hand grabbed his shoulder and buried its nails into his skin. Aerrow gritted his teeth and looked his enemy.

"It's over" Aerrow said.

"You may have defeated me Aerrow, but your death will be much more painful than mine" Dark Ace mumbled. "You will have to look your beloved into their eyes as you take your last breath, and say goodbye to your precious boy who thinks he saved you by coming here"

"At least somebody loves me"  
"I had my love too Aerrow, but your wife took her away from me!" He growled. "But now I'll see her again" Then he took a last breath and closed his eyes.

Aerrow let go of the body and drew himself away, unable to walk. He reached the cave walls and leaned back and took a deep painful breath...

**End of chapter 10**

**A/N: I promise, it won't be long before the next chapter is out! I'm leaving for Florida in a couple of days and it will be out by then.**


	11. Hope

**Chapter 11**

**Hope**

**A/N: Enjoy, but just so you know... I was really tired when I wrote some parts of this chapter. Thanks for the reviews**

.:o0o:.

Piper and the other had finally found the terra. "_I can't believe I haven't seen this Terra before..._" She thought and saved it as a terra on her digital map. It was still raining and the sky was dark.

"See anything Piper?" Finn asked.

"No, it's too dark, anyone who brought flashlights?"

"Yes, we have a few" A couple of the recruits replied and handed one over to Piper. By now all the traces on the ground was washed away, but they decided to start walking towards the centre of the terra. The fear was about to take control of her, but as Finn placed his hand on her shoulder she found a little hope.

"It'll be ok Piper"

"I hope you're right" She mumbled.

They walked longer into the Terra and worked their way through the dark forests. Suddenly they came to an opening and they stopped.

"They're not here, where are they!" Piper suddenly shouted and fell to her knees crying.

"Relax Piper we'll find then soon, I..."

"Help!" A voice suddenly called not too far away. Piper looked up and saw a little creature come up from nothing in the dark night.

"Tyler!" Piper screamed as she saw her son coming running out of the cave-opening in front of them.

"Mom!" He shouted as she embraced him. Tears were streaming down her cheeks once again and landed on the cold dark ground. Piper pulled away from Tyler to take a good look at him. He had a deep cut on the left side of his forehead and it had been bleeding badly. "What happened?" She stuttered, scared of the answer.

"Dark Ace" He whispered scared. "But we don't have time for this now mom! Dad is hurt and Thomas!"

"Your Dad is here? Where Tyler?"

"Of course! Come with me!" He shouted so the rest could hear him.

"Come on!" Piper said to confirm her son's order.

"Where are we going?" Finn asked confused.

"Aerrow and Thomas is here, and they are both hurt"

"Oh no..."

Piper just nodded to Finn and ran after her son. "_Please let me say goodbye, Aerrow_"

When they came to the cave-opening Tyler suddenly slowed down, Piper could see fear well up in his eyes. "Don't be scared my dear, we are here now"

"Thanks, I know" Tyler mumbled and continued stubborn into the cave.

.:o0o:.

_Piper and Aerrow were sleeping peacefully in their beds, but outside there was a storm growing. It sounded like Tor was out with his hammer tonight and more so, the lightning hit the ground and lighted up the world for a second. But nothing could wake the sleeping couple, his arms were wrapped around his wife protective, to make sure no harm came to her or the life she was carrying. In his sleep he listened to her study breath and felt her sweet smell, it filled him with a sense of calm and peace. His dreams were filled with beautiful colours and pictures, every muscle in his body were relaxing and regaining strength. Suddenly it felt like a wave hit him, and then another... he twisted confused and opened his eyes..._

"_Tyler? What are you doing up so late?"_

"_Dad... I-I'm scared" The five-year old painfully admitted._

"_Of the weather?"_

"_Yes" He said. "It makes so much noise"_

"_Come here, and try not to wake your mother, she and the baby need some sleep"_

"_Ok" He smiled and carefully climbed into his father's soft and warm bed. He felt a pair of strong arms being wrapped around him and suddenly felt much better._

"_Have you heard the legend about Tor with the hammer?"_

"_No"_

"_It's the story of a Viking that can fly in the sky, in a carriage drawn by strong goats"_

"_Goats?!" He asked in disbelief._

"_Shh... yes, two goats, his name is Tor and he has a hammer – it is the most powerful weapon. He can throw it and it will hit his enemies no matter what, and then come flying back!"_

"_Wow, do you have a hammer like that dad? Tor was a Sky Knight, right?"_

"_I guess you can call him a Sky Knight" He said and chuckled. "But I do not have one, only Tor has"_

"_But what does that have to do with the weather?"_

"_The legend says that whenever Tor throws his hammer it makes thunder and lightning"_

"_Does he really have to make so much noise?" The five-year-old asked annoyed._

"_Maybe you could yell a little at him in the morning and he'll go away"_

"_I can do that! So he won't disturb mummy or the baby anymore!"_

"_You do that, but now I think we need some sleep"_

"_Ok, you know what? When the baby is born and if it is afraid of the thunder like me I can tell her the story about Tor with the hammer!"_

"_That would be very nice of you Tyler"_

"_Goodnight dad"_

"_Goodnight son, sleep tight"_

_A tear of happiness and pried ran down Piper's cheek when her husband fell asleep with their son in his arms. He was the perfect father, protecting and understanding. She could not believe her luck..._

.:o0o:.

Piper and the others fallowed Tyler down, frightened to find out what happened to their friends. They ran down the small hallway with only small flashlights to guide. Tyler suddenly leaded them into a great hall lighted by torches on the walls. Tyler ran to the other end of the hall and shouted to them:

"Here he is!" Tyler shouted and ran over to Aerrow "Mommy found us Dad! Just like I said she would" He said as he sat down next to his unconscious father. "Dad?"

"_Oh no_" Piper thought as her husband didn't answer Tyler, she ran over to them and lifted Aerrow up so his upper-body rested on her lap. "Aerrow?" She whispered.

A soft moan escaped the limp body and his eyes slowly opened. "Tyler?"

"Yes, Dad I'm here! And so is Mom, I told you she would find us!"

"Piper?" He asked in disbelief.

"I'm here my love, just rest it's all over now, we're all safe"

"What... about Thomas?" He asked weakly.

"I told the others where he was, they're down there to get him now"

"Good..." He mumbled. "I'm...really proud of you son, at the age....of 12, you have...proved yourself more worthy than a Sky-Knight"

"Thanks Dad, when we get home I can teach you a few tricks" he said and smiled.

"Cool, I'm sure... your mother will be happy to learn them"

"Mom?" Tyler asked confused. "Why not you, Dad?"

"Tyler...Dark Ace lied, there never was... an antidote"

"But....he said that..." Tyler could barely talk, small tears was streaming down his red cheeks, the salt tears burned in his cuts.

"Come here, son" Aerrow's voice could barely be heard at this moment, but Tyler did as he was told and crawled into his father's arms. "I-I love you, Dad" He stuttered.

"I love you too, son. Promise me to take good care of your sister for me"

"You can do that, just keep fighting Dad! Remember what you told me? Faith can change everything!" He hugged him as hard as he could.

"I'll remember that, could you do me a favour and go to your uncle? Mom and I need to have a little talk"

"Now?"

"Now, son"

"Ok, Dad"

Piper cried silently as their son walked away.

.:o0o:.

"_Watch your step" Finn said as Piper walked into the car with the small creature in her arms._

"_Thanks Finn, do you know why Aerrow couldn't pick us up?"_

"_He had to go in a short mission, he told me to tell you that he was really sorry, your dad is taking care of Tyler"_

"_Oh, ok" She said disappointed and swallowed a couple of tears. Yesterday he had promised to bring Tyler and pick her and little blue up so they could come home from the hospital. Piper remembered how touchy she had been about such things when Tyler was born, and unfortunately it was not any different now._

_Finn looked at Piper with concern when he saw how upset this made her; she had really wanted Aerrow to be there. He took a turn and drove out of the hospital's parking lot, as they hit the highway Piper still hadn't uttered a word. "You alright?" He asked carefully._

"_Yes" She said and kept staring out the window, but suddenly the little girl in her arms decided to wake up. "Hey girlie" She smiled. "We're home soon"_

_Home... after she and Aerrow build their own the word had gotten a whole new meaning, she had learned what her dad meant by: The home is where the heart is. And that was exactly where her heart was, home, where Aerrow was, and Tyler. She was so proud of them all! Her heart was filled with joy and expectation as Finn parked the car next to their house. Suddenly to remember that Aerrow was not there, neither was Tyler, or her dad._

_A tear ran down her cheek, but she quickly dried it away so Finn would not see it._

"_Why don't you take her to back to the garden? It's such a nice day, I'll get you something to drink" He said and literary ran inside. Piper stood there confused over his behaviour, but decided to do as he suggested. She opened the door to the garden and tightened her grip on the little girl in her arms when..._

"_Surprise!"_

"_W-what?" Piper was speechless, all of her friends were there... in the back of her garden! And in front stood Aerrow with Tyler in his hand, they were both smiling from ear to ear. Aerrow approached her and kissed her gently on her forehead._

"_We wanted to make the day memorable" He said and smiled_

"_Thank you" She mumbled and smiled, a small tear escaped her eye._

"_You deserve this; now... let us show them our little girl"_

"_But what about Ty?" She whispered. "I'm so afraid to forget him in the middle of all this"_

"_I'll take Tyler on my shoulder and why don't we let Tyler tell them all her name?"  
"That's a great idea!" She said and gave him a quick kiss. "I love you Aerrow"_

"_I love you too, come on – I want out friends to see this little miracle"_

_Aerrow did as he promised, he lifted Ty up on his shoulders and they met their friends. Piper handed the little girl over to Finn and the proud "uncle" smiled widely._

"_So? What's her name?" Jessica asked impatient. _

"_Tyler?" Aerrow asked. "Do you want to tell them?"_

"_Her name is Ayla!" He said proud. "And she is my baby sister"_

.:o0o:.

Suddenly Aerrow started to cough violently so his whole body was shaking. "Piper..." He whispered.

"Shhh... I'm here, Love, always"

"I know, but I wanted to tell how amazing these last years have been, I don't deserve such a fantastic wife and family"

"Oh that you do, believe me. But tell me, you don't think the antidote will work?"

"I don't... know, Piper, it doesn't feel like it, but I still believe"

"Then why did you just tell our son there was no hope?" She almost cried out.

"Because I didn't... want to give him any false hope" Aerrow's shaky voice was so weak that only Piper could hear it. "And I... wanted to say goodbye... while I had the chance"

Piper hugged her beloved tight and cried as Aerrow spoke perhaps his last words. "I love you, Piper, always"

"And I love you Aerrow, no matter what happens – remember that"

"I will" He promised and sat up to give her a kiss. Piper had never felt something that gave so much love, pain and sorrow at once. And the fear of losing it was about to take control of her. Her hands were shaking violently and she felt lost and confused.

"Rest now, Aerrow. And if it's meant so, I will see you soon"

Aerrow could not speak anymore, with closed eyes he gently squeezed her hand before it fell limp down on the floor.

Tyler ran over to his mother and received her embrace. He could feel her shaking violently and tears ran down her cheeks and into his dark hair.

Now... all they could do was to wait

End of chapter 11

**A/N: I'm not going to make up excuses... I'm slow at writing. But hope you liked the chapter, I know it's short, but the story is about to end...**

**-**

**PS: More reviews from you, more readers for me, ok? Thanks!**


	12. Final goodbye?

**Chapter 12**

**Final goodbye?**

**A/N: Ok so here it is... the last chapter... FINALLY FINISHED... blæh!**

**Important: To really get the right feelings for this chapter you should listen to songs like:**

**The soldier song – Sarah Bettens**

**The finish line – Train**

**Every now and then – Alan Jackson**

**Not as we – Alanis Morisette **

**My skin – Natalie Merchant**

**Answer – Sarah McLachlan**

Piper parked her car outside the house, she had the day off... and of course it was raining! She grabbed her grocery bags and ran inside the house, taken by surprise when suddenly:

"Aerrow, shouldn't you be at work?" Piper asked confused and sat her groceries down on the kitchen table.

"Hey, I thought you would be glad to see me?" He played offended and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Of course I am!" She said and embraced him, feeling him putting his arms around her and squeezing her hard. "But..."

"No buts" He whispered and put his finger to her lips. Then he leaned to her and kissed her passionately, he put his right hand to her cheek. When he pulled away Piper already longed for him to kiss her again, but he just stared at her, looking her deep into her eyes.

"What?" She asked.

"You're so beautiful" He whispered.

"I... thank you" She stuttered, confused over his sudden romantic behaviour. "May I ask why you're in this remarkable mood today?"

"Of course you can" He said, obviously enjoying himself

"So...?"

"I... gave up my position as Sky Knight today"  
"You w-what? Why?"

"Relax I didn't quit my job... just the dangerous part, so I could spend some more time with you"

Piper stared at him with shock, for how long had she wanted to hear those words? To know that she could send him off to work without worrying about him coming back.

"I don't know what to say"

"I did this for you" He said with some pride. "Aren't you happy?"

"Happy no, I'm overwhelmed with joy!" She shouted and jumped into his arms. He caught her and pressed her tightly to his chest. "Thank you" She mumbled, a tear ran down her cheek.

"Everything for you" He said and kissed her again.

.:o0o:.

Piper gently opened her eyes, feeling a small ray of sun on her face. She pulled the green curtains away and opened the window. It was a beautiful day outside.

"Good morning" She heard a familiar voice say behind her.

"Good morning to you too" She smiled and turned around. "Are you up already?"

"You saw the weather didn't you? I went for a ride with Thomas, I have so much to learn!"

"You're so much like your father!" She exclaimed and hugged her son.

"Do you want me to make you some breakfast?" He asked.

"Thank you, that would be nice... I'm just going to take a shower first"

"Ok! Ayla is here with that guy by the way..."

"Lucas? Ok, let us make some breakfast for them as well then"

"Sure thing" He shouted as he was on his down the stairs, suddenly she heard a loud _creak _and then _thud. _"We need to fix the stairs...!" She heard him shout.

"I know!" She shouted back. "Your dad's tools are in the garage!"

"I'll get it later, just be careful"

Piper shook her head and smiled to herself before she went to the bathroom and stepped into the shower. She shivered as the cold water hit her, but relaxed as the water slowly heated. She smiled to herself and hummed a little, she was going to be fine she had decided. So why don't start the day with humming and a breakfast with her children?

She finished her shower quickly and went downstairs.

"Good morning mom!" Ayla smiled and poured some coffee and handed the cup to Piper.

"Good morning girly" She said using Aerrow's nickname for their daughter.

"Good morning Ma'am" Lucas greeted her.

"Just call me Piper, Lucas" She said and greeted him warmly. "Good morning to you too"

"Breakfast is ready!" Tyler said and threw the last eggs on their plates.

"Tyler, don't play with the food like that" Piper lectured him and sat down.

They enjoyed their big breakfast this Saturday morning, talking and laughing together. Piper had started off good, but became more and more distant. Ayla didn't seem to notice, Tyler thought, but then she send him a worried look – asking him what was wrong.

"Could you please clean the table Ayla? I need to... get something"

"Sure mom" She said, the worry in her voice was obvious.

"Is mom sick or something?" Ayla asked when she left the room. "She seems so out of it"

"Ayla, you really don't remember what day this is?" Tyler said - he looked hurt.

"No, I… Oh no"

"Yes"

"What? Is it her birthday or something?" Lucas asked confused.

"No" Tyler said short. "I can't believe you forgot" He was angry now; he turned around and walked out of the house.

"Sorry about that, he's got our mother's temper"

"What's all this about?" Lucas asked.

"It's… been 10 years since out father died"

"Oh, I'm sorry"

"Hey, it's not your fault, you didn't kill him, right?" She said as a weak smile appeared on her lips. Lucas could see the pain in her face, and that she was forcing it all into a small joke.

"No" He said and embraced her. "I can understand that this hurts, spend the day with your family, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"I can't wait" She replied and planted a small kiss on his cheek before she dried her tears away. "Thanks"

"Always" He said and closed the door carefully behind him. Ayla then went to find her brother.

.:o0o:.

"Tyler, I'm really sorry about this" Ayla said as she entered the garage, her brother's face were hidden by a box of tools.

"I can't believe you're taking this so easily" He mumbled.

"Easily? EASILY? Tyler, I am 5 years younger than you, you remember more, but he was my dad too!" She screamed into his face. He didn't even look at her, his fists were tightened and Ayla was sure he was going to hit something. Tears fell down her face and she starred angry at her brother. "You don't think I miss him? Miss his protection? His stupid jokes or the sound of his skimmer landing outside?"

"I… I'm sorry Ayla" He mumbled and turned around. She saw the hurt in his eyes...

"I'm sorry too Tyler, I think we'll have to be strong today, for mom's sake"

"I agree, I think she wanted to see his grave"

"Do you think she wants to go alone?"

"I don't know... at least we could walk her there?" Ayla suggested.

"We should, where is she?"

"She's still upstairs"

"Do you want me to talk to her?"

"No I can do it"

.:o0o:.

An hour later, the small family was walking side by side. The sun was still shining, not a single cloud. Tyler watched a family that was playing outside, mother, father and 3 kids. It suddenly felt like he was stabbed – when he thought of all he had missed out on. He looked at his sister; she was holding Piper's hand. He knew his mother was a strong woman, but losing someone like she did... guess that could make anyone go a little crazy. He had, had a girlfriend of his own, but so far he hadn't found his true love. But when he did, he wanted it to be like what his parents had together. When they reached the graveyard he could immediately see the big pile of flowers that covered his father's grave, and he smiled weakly. No doubt he had been loved, no doubt. The feeling of being stabbed hit him again, he never got rid of the feeling that he could have saved his dad, or that his dad could have saved himself. And he promised himself that he would never commit the same mistake. Then perhaps it would be better if no one ever fell in love with him? So that he could do his duty as Sky Knight, but never hurting anyone like his father had hurt Piper. He didn't know...

Piper suddenly stopped by the gravestone, falling to her knees and sobbing. Tyler and Ayla sat down next to her and held her tight.

Ayla could feel her white blouse going wet of tears and she looked at her brother, he was crying too.

"Mom, d-do you want some alone time?" Ayla managed to ask. Piper nodded silently.

"We'll be waiting by the gate"

.:o0o:.

Piper watched her kids walking away, Tyler had put his right arm protectively around his little sister. She smiled weakly before she turned back to Aerrow's grave, one of her tears landed on a small envelope that was lying on top of some yellow flowers. She held the envelope between her slim fingers and read it.

.

_Still can't believe you're gone bro_

_We're missing you everyday_

_Finn and Jessica_

_._

Finn had sent her a text, knowing that she wouldn't want to talk about things, not today. He told her that he had been to Aerrow's grave and that he hoped she was doing ok. He also told her that he had been talking to Junko and Stork, and was suppose to say hello. She hadn't answered him though; she had decided to do so when she got home.

"Seems like a lot of people are missing you Aerrow" She mumbled. Her throat felt dry and she coughed a little. "There so much I wish I could say to you, but my heart can't bear it" She whispered as she left an envelope with a letter beside a red rose. "I miss you" She croaked out. Each step caused her pain as she walked away from the grave, not knowing if her heart could ever bare to come back. Explaining it all in her letter, it felt easier that way.

.:o0o:.

Are you in love? If you are, you're lucky, I'm crazy in love myself and it's the best I've ever felt. To be with the one you love, knowing that no one else knows _exactly _how you feel, or feel the same love as you do. It's hard to imagine that anyone else can feel the same as you do right? Well they don't, we all love in different ways. That's what makes it special.

What if your loved one suddenly didn't come home? That happened to me once, not knowing where he was, until I got a call from his father. This is what inspired me to the sad ending, all those thoughts that went through my head those days.

We've been together for 3 years, and my love is just growing. I wasn't in love with him first, we were so young! But now... I don't know how I would do without him. Could you imagine losing something like that love? And then not being able to find it again... like I wrote, that can make someone go crazy. I can see my love in everything; so many memories are attached to the simplest thing. Like the red cube candle on my table, I bought that one when he came to visit. Or the book: _The wild blue_, that stands in my bookshelf – he bought that one for me. If I think of a life without him, I can feel my heart ache. Can you?

_Love, if you have it  
you don't need to have anything else,  
and if you don't have it,  
it doesn't matter much what else you have_

.

**A/N: Ok, so I tried to imagine a sad sunny day with a mild breeze outside when I wrote this, but all the ash from Iceland is covering the sun here!! So if you liked the story, please live a review or two so more people will read the story.**

**It was a simple story, not long, but with an easy plot. I will not write any sequels or any other Storm Hawks fics, started this one more than 2 years ago when I was actually interested in Storm Hawks...**

**Goodbye folks!**

**PS: Quote by ****James M. Barrie**


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